Jannik Sinner reaches Italian Open semis, breaks Masters 1000 winning streak record

ROME – Records do not matter that much to Jannik Sinner; he plays just for his “own story”.

On May 14, he reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open after seeing off world No. 14 Andrey Rublev and establishing a record of consecutive wins in Masters 1000 tournaments.

Another straight-set victory, this time 6-2, 6-4, moved Sinner up to 32 straight wins in the ATP’s top-ranked events, one more than the previous record established by Novak Djokovic in 2011.

He has also won 64 of the last 66 sets he has played at this level.

On what that means to him, he said: “It’s tough to say. I don’t play for records. I play just for my own story.

“At the same time, it means a lot to me, but tomorrow is another opponent. We’re gonna play in different conditions. It’s gonna be a night match. Let’s see. Now the highest priority for me is trying to recover as much as I can physically. We’ll see how it goes.

“Emotionally it takes a lot playing here at home. At the same time, I’ll definitely try to do my best. We see how it goes. In any way it’s a win-win situation for me in any case. It was a good day today.”

On beating 12th seed Rublev, he added: “He’s a very dangerous player when he plays at his highest level... it’s very tough to beat him. I felt like we both didn’t play our best today. But at the same time, the conditions here are very tough. I tried to adapt myself in the best possible way.”

Rublev was Sinner’s first seeded opponent at the 2026 tournament in Rome and the world No. 1 made short work of his task in front of a delighted centre court.

In the last four, Sinner is likely to face Daniil Medvedev, winner of the 2023 title at the Foro Italico, with the seventh seed taking on Spanish lucky loser Martin Landaluce later in the day.

But Sinner looks near unbeatable at the moment and with his great rival Carlos Alcaraz – to whom he lost in the 2025 final – out injured, he is heavy favourite to become the first Italian to win the Rome title in five decades, with a potential career Grand Slam on the cards at the French Open.

Earlier, another home favourite Luciano Darderi battled past Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 6-0 in a three-hour epic that stretched into the early hours of May 14 to also reach the semi-finals and extend the best Masters 1000 run of his career.

Fresh from a statement victory over second seed Alexander Zverev in the previous round, the Italian carried his momentum into a late-night quarter-final, where a lively crowd stayed despite rain delays pushing the schedule deep into the evening.

The match was also briefly suspended in the opening set after smoke from fireworks at the neighbouring Olympic Stadium, hosting the Italian Cup final between Inter Milan and Lazio, drifted across the Foro Italico.

The haze reduced visibility and temporarily disrupted the tournament’s electronic line-calling system. When play resumed, Darderi snatched the opening set.

Jodar responded impressively to level the contest, but Darderi reasserted control to close out the win.

“I think it’s the best win of my career because of the crowd and everything here in Rome,” he said.

“First time in the semi-finals, it’s a dream to play here. It was difficult because we started around 11, the court was very slow... I just kept fighting and I’m very happy about that.”

Darderi will face 23rd-seed Casper Ruud in the semi-finals on May 15.

In the women’s draw, last year’s losing finalist and current Roland Garros champion Coco Gauff is back in the final after beating veteran Sorana Cirstea, a surprise semi-finalist, 6-4, 6-3 on centre court.

The 22-year-old made only one double fault and got 79 per cent of her first serves in play. In the May 16 decider, she will face either Poland’s six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek or Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina. REUTERS, AFP