Sinner cruises past Moller to reach Madrid last 16

Jannik Sinner faced an unfamiliar rival in Elmer Moller on Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open, yet there was nothing out of the ordinary in the Italian’s dominant march to a 6-2, 6-3 third-round win at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000 tournament, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings demonstrated superior consistency and precision against the No. 169-ranked Dane, who was competing against a Top-10 opponent for the first time.

Sinner powered through the match in one hour and 17 minutes at Manolo Santana Stadium, extending his Masters 1000 winning streak to 24 matches — the fourth longest since the series began in 1990.

Now holding a 26-2 record for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Sinner is just four victories away from becoming the first player to capture five consecutive Masters 1000 titles.

The 24-year-old, aiming to build on his recent triumphs in Paris (last November), Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte-Carlo, will next face either 19th seed Cameron Norrie or Thiago Agustin Tirante for a place in the Madrid quarter-finals.

“I tried to stay calm and serve well in important moments,” Sinner said during his on-court interview. “I think that was the key today. There was not a lot of rhythm, so I tried to stay quite compact. Let’s see what’s coming in the next round.”

Sinner made a fast start in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with the 22-year-old Moller. From 1-1 in the opening set, the Italian surged ahead by winning four consecutive games. Although Moller managed to break Sinner’s serve in the seventh game, the World No. 1 responded by securing a third break to claim the set.

Moller took a medical timeout at 2-5, receiving treatment to his abdominal area from the tournament physio, but he continued to compete strongly in the latter stages of the match. The Dane, who has climbed toward the Top 100 largely thanks to his backhand, found better rhythm on that wing in the second set.

However, it was not enough to prevent Sinner from sealing a straight-sets victory. At 2-3, Moller produced back-to-back double faults from deuce, handing Sinner a crucial break. From there, the Italian remained in control and closed out the match, converting four of the nine break points he created.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev