World number one Jannik Sinner reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Thursday after defeating Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4 and setting a new record for consecutive wins in ATP Masters 1000 events.
The victory marked Sinner’s 32nd straight win in Masters 1000 tournaments, surpassing the previous record of 31 set by Novak Djokovic in 2011.
Sinner said he was focused on his own journey rather than records, but acknowledged the achievement meant a lot to him.
The Italian dominated the match on centre court in Rome, with Rublev struggling throughout and committing 28 unforced errors.
Sinner is now considered the favourite to win the Rome title, especially after rival Carlos Alcaraz withdrew due to injury. A title in Rome would make Sinner the first Italian in 50 years to win the tournament.
Despite the comfortable win, Sinner admitted he was beginning to feel the effects of a busy schedule and said his main focus remained the upcoming French Open in Paris.
In the women’s draw, Coco Gauff advanced to the Italian Open final for the second straight year after beating Sorana Cirstea 6-4, 6-3.
Gauff showed improvement on serve and handled the match confidently against the veteran Romanian, who is expected to retire at the end of the season.
The American will now look to win the Rome title after losing last year’s final to Jasmine Paolini.
Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek was set to face Elina Svitolina in the other semi-final as she continued her search for a first title of the season.