Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday.
The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October.
Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against the 169th-ranked Moller.
Photo: AP
The Italian broke Moller four times and dropped serve just once late in the opening set to book a last-16 meeting with Cameron Norrie.
“I tried to stay calm, trying to serve well in the important moments,” Sinner said on court after the win.
“I think today that was the key,” he added. “And not a lot of rhythm, so I tried to stay quite compact.”
Photo: AFP
Fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti also won, overcoming Dutch 29th seed Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-5.
The sixth-seeded Musetti faces Czech 11th seed Jiri Lehecka for a spot in the quarter-finals.
In night-session WTA action, world number two and reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina shook off a stubborn Zheng Qinwen, knocking out the Olympic gold medallist 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to reach the round of 16.
In a rare moment of frustration, the usually calm and collected Rybakina argued with umpire Julie Kjendlie late in the second set over a mark on the court, which she felt clearly indicated a Zheng serve was out but was deemed in by the electronic line-calling system.
“Are you kidding me? This is not a joke. The system is wrong,” Rybakina said, but her protests were in vain because Kjendlie is not permitted to leave her chair, check a mark and overrule the line-calling system.
Rybakina grabbed the set two games later to force a decider and wrapped up the win after two hours and 21 minutes of play.
Earlier in the day, Coco Gauff became the latest victim of the stomach virus that has been sweeping through the draw in Madrid but the ailing American still found a way to beat Sorana Cirstea 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 and reach the round of 16.
Several players have been struggling with illness in the Spanish capital this week, including Iga Swiatek, who was forced to retire from her match against Ann Li on Saturday, and Marin Cilic, who had to withdraw ahead of his second-round meeting with Joao Fonseca on Friday.
Liudmila Samsonova also pulled out of the tournament on Sunday citing illness ahead of her third-round match with Linda Noskova.
Gauff vomited in a bin on the court during her clash with Cirstea and asked for a medical timeout during the latter stages of the match before she completed the win in two hours and 21 minutes.
“Yeah, I don’t know, honestly [how I got through that],” said Gauff, who faces Noskova in the last 16.
“I was just trying to finish the match and one point turned into another. I think I got what everybody else is having here in Madrid, unfortunately,” she added. “I’m just going to try to push through for tomorrow.”
A runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka in the Spanish capital 12 months ago, Gauff has 3,300 points to defend on clay from Madrid through to her Roland Garros title defense in early June.
“I pulled out in Indian Wells. I’m not someone who likes to pull out, so I didn’t want to pull out again today. So, I’m glad that I was able to get through it,” Gauff said.
Fellow American Jessica Pegula was unable to join Gauff in the next round as the fifth seed suffered a 6-1, 6-4 upset against Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
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