Jannik Sinner has broken Novak Djokovic’s all-time record of successive match wins at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments by recording the 32nd straight victory of his historic streak to reach the Italian Open semi-finals.
The Italian world number one overpowered 12th seed Andrey Rublev 6-2 6-4 to continue his bid to join Djokovic as only the second man to win all nine Masters 1000 titles – the sport’s highest level below the Grand Slams.
Sinner, 24, appears in unstoppable form before the French Open – the only major standing between him and a career Grand Slam – begins on 24 May.
He has joined Spanish great Rafael Nadal as the only other man to reach semi-finals at each of the first five Masters 1000 events in a season, and will face Russian Daniil Medvedev or Spanish lucky loser Martin Landaluce for a place in the showpiece.
“I don’t play for records. I play just for my own story,” Sinner told the crowd.
“At the same time, it means a lot to me. But tomorrow is another opponent, in different conditions – it’s a night match.
“Now the highest priority for me is trying to recover as much as I can physically.
“Emotionally it takes a lot playing here at home. At the same time, I’ll definitely try to do my best. It’s a win-win situation for me in any case. It was a good day today.”
Sinner has won 45 of his past 47 matches across all tournaments since suffering his last defeat at a Masters 1000 tournament, when he was forced to retire from his third-round match in Shanghai.
He has triumphed at that level in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Madrid this year, following victory in Paris in November, winning 64 of the 66 sets he has contested during his record-breaking run.
With his victory in Madrid earlier this month, he became the first player in history to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles – just two weeks later he is closing in on a sixth. And so, while he may not have records at the forefront of his mind, his achievements continue to draw comparisons with the greats. Overall, he has claimed 121 wins from 150 matches at ATP 1000 level, with only 22-time major winner Nadal (123) boasting a better record since the format’s introduction in 1990.
Keen to deliver for his passionate home crowd, he will now seek two more victories as he attempts to become the first Italian men’s singles champion in Rome since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago.