Jannik Sinner put on an impressive show for his home crowd at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome on Thursday night, easily defeating Casper Ruud with a score of 6-0, 6-1 in the quarter-finals.
Dominance on the Court
The world’s top-ranked player wasted no time, striking the ball powerfully from both sides right from the start. Sinner dominated the match, winning 16 of the first 18 points, and wrapped it up in just 64 minutes.
When asked about his performance, Sinner said, “It’s tough to say how close I was to ‘perfection.’ I felt great on the court today, and I think everyone could see that. My aim was to gauge my level in this tournament, and I feel like I’m improving every day, which makes me very happy. The result isn’t everything, but I see this as a positive sign.”
He added, “Things can change quickly in tennis, and no single performance defines my current form. But today, everything clicked—my serves, returns, and movements were all on point. I’m excited about what’s next in the semi-finals.”
With this victory, Sinner marked his 25th consecutive win on tour and set up a semi-final clash against Tommy Paul, who had earlier beaten Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(4), 6-3. At just 23 years old, Sinner is aiming to become only the second Italian man to win the singles title in Rome since Adriano Panatta did it back in 1976.
Sinner’s win also makes history, as it’s the first time two Italian men have reached the semi-finals in Rome during the Open Era, and it’s the first time ever in ATP Masters 1000 events. Given how decisively he took down Ruud, Sinner is confident about ending Italy’s 49-year wait for a men’s singles champion in Rome.
Reflecting on his past matches against Ruud, Sinner noted, “I might have looked at our head-to-head record. Every player has one or two opponents they find tricky. I tried to replicate my past successes today on a different surface, and I felt I hit the ball really well. Playing at night against Casper was advantageous for me since he couldn’t get as much bounce on the ball.”
The match began with an intense opening game, highlighting what was to come. Sinner broke Ruud’s serve without losing a point and quickly took control, achieving his first 6-0 set against a Top 10 opponent. In fact, Ruud didn’t hit his first winner until 33 minutes into the match when the second set was already underway.
Although Ruud managed to momentarily halt Sinner’s momentum by saving two break points to hold serve at 1-2, Sinner quickly regained his rhythm. He won four straight games to seal the match, much to the delight of the home fans. Ruud couldn’t help but laugh as he congratulated Sinner at the net after witnessing such a remarkable performance.