Sinner Defeats Cerundolo and Advances to Quarterfinals in Rome

After a wait of several hours, Jannik Sinner and Francisco Cerundolo were finally able to step onto the center court. Just as Jasmine Paolini had secured her victory over Diana Shnaider (6-7, 6-4, 6-2) in a dramatic turnaround, rain interrupted play in Rome, heavily disrupting the day's schedule.

It wasn’t until after 7 p.m. that the world No. 1 could face off against the Argentine, who has had an excellent start to the season and posed as Sinner’s first real test in the tournament, following straight-set wins against Mariano Navone (6-3, 6-4) and Jesper De Jong (6-4, 6-2).

The first set was long, intense, and highly competitive. With a break on each side, the two players were forced into a tiebreak, where Sinner proved stronger to take the lead after 1 hour and 15 minutes of play. The world No. 18, too inconsistent in this match (29 winners, 52 unforced errors), let his opportunity slip away.

Once in motion, Sinner didn’t stop. After a more controlled second set, the world No. 1 sealed the victory in straight sets despite conceding a break and needing four match points (7-6, 6-3 in 2h17).

With this win, he advances to the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters 1000 in his comeback tournament. To reach the semifinals, he will face either Jaume Munar or Casper Ruud, who will play their match this Tuesday in the night session.