Ask Onix
Sinner extends winning streak with dominant performance
Jannik Sinner continued his remarkable run of form at the Madrid Open, defeating Britain's Cameron Norrie 6-2 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals and extend his winning streak to 20 matches.
Match breakdown
The world number one dominated the opening set, breaking Norrie twice to take it 6-2. Despite a strong start from Norrie, who held to love in the first game, Sinner quickly took control.
Norrie fought back in the second set, breaking Sinner to level at 5-5 after saving two break points. However, the Italian sealed the match by breaking Norrie's serve in the final game, securing his place in the quarter-finals in under 90 minutes.
Historic achievement
Sinner's victory marked a historic milestone, as he became only the second player in tennis history to win the first 20 ATP Masters 1000 matches of the season, matching Novak Djokovic's records from 2011 and 2015.
The 24-year-old Italian has now won four consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles, following victories at Indian Wells, the Miami Open, and Monte Carlo. His performance in Madrid equals his best result at the tournament, having previously reached the quarter-finals in 2024.
Norrie's struggle
Norrie, ranked as Britain's number one, struggled to return Sinner's serves, failing to break back effectively after the Italian's early dominance. A critical moment came in the fifth game of the first set when Norrie attempted an underarm serve, which failed to clear the net, handing Sinner the break.
Despite a brief resurgence, winning seven consecutive points to break back, Norrie ultimately fell short in his first competitive match against Sinner.
"We know each other quite well. We practised a lot in the last tournament. We both kind of knew what to expect."
Jannik Sinner
Sinner's reflections
Speaking after the match, Sinner acknowledged the challenges of adapting to the Madrid clay courts, which differ significantly from other surfaces.
"This surface is very different to all the other surfaces, so it's very tough to get the right feedback and sometimes you feel like you are not playing your best," he told Sky Sports. "But I'm very happy to be in the quarters again. It's a tournament I haven't played a lot, so it means a lot to me."
Scheduling concerns
Sinner also raised concerns about the tournament's scheduling, particularly after his match was played at 11:00 local time (10:00 BST). His next opponent, either Vit Kopriva or Rafael Jodar, was scheduled for an afternoon slot following Jodar's late-night victory over Joao Fonseca on Sunday.
"[Jodar] finished very, very late [on Sunday], but at the same time, I feel like we need to make some adjustments with scheduling of the day," Sinner said. "For matches at 8pm, it's very late, even though you have one day in between-still, it's very late. You finish at 1:30am and you need to eat, you need to have treatment, so it's very late. We try to adapt ourselves, our bodies and minds."
Quarter-final preview
Sinner will face either Kopriva or Jodar in the quarter-finals, with their match scheduled for later on Tuesday. The winner will advance to the next round as Sinner continues his pursuit of a fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title.
