Rome, May 12 - World number one Jannik Sinner extended his Masters 1000 winning streak to 31 matches, equaling Novak Djokovic’s all-time record, with a dominant 6-2 6-3 victory over compatriot Andrea Pellegrino in the Italian Open round of 16.
The 24-year-old, a four-time Grand Slam champion and the first man to win five consecutive Masters titles, raced to a 4-0 lead. Pellegrino rallied to 3-3 in the second set, but Sinner broke back immediately and sealed the match in one hour and 29 minutes.
Sinner now aims to win the Rome title-the only Masters event missing from his collection. A victory would make him only the second man, alongside Djokovic, to have won all nine Masters 1000 events.
In other action, Italian Luciano Darderi upset German second seed Alexander Zverev 1-6 7-6(10) 6-0, saving four match points to reach the quarter-finals.