MADRID — Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a smooth 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday.
The world No 1 extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has also captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October.
Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against the 169th-ranked Moller, AFP reported.
The Italian broke Moller four times and dropped serve just once late in the opening set to book a last-16 meeting with Cameron Norrie or Thiago Agustin Tirante.
“I tried to stay calm, trying to serve well in the important moments,” Sinner told Tennis TV on court after the win.
“I think today that was the key. And not a lot of rhythm, so I tried to stay quite compact and let’s see what’s coming in the next round.”
Another Italian enjoyed a successful Sunday in the form of Lorenzo Musetti, who overcame Dutch 29th seed Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 7-5.
The sixth-seeded Musetti will face the 11th-seeded Czech Jiri Lehecka for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Earlier in the day, Coco Gauff became the latest victim of the stomach virus that has been sweeping through the draw in Madrid, but the ailing American still found a way to beat Sorana Cirstea 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 and reach the round of 16.
Several players have been struggling with illness in the Spanish capital this week, including Iga Swiatek, who was forced to retire from her match against Ann Li Saturday, and Marin Cilic, who had to withdraw ahead of his second-round meeting with Joao Fonseca on Friday.
Liudmila Samsonova also pulled out of the tournament on Sunday, citing illness ahead of her third-round match with Linda Noskova.
Gauff vomited in a bin on the court during her clash with Cirstea, and asked for a medical timeout during the latter stages of the match before she completed the win in two hours and 21 minutes.
“Yeah, I don’t know, honestly (how I got through that),” said Gauff, who will face Noskova in the last 16.
“I was just trying to finish the match and one point turned into another. I think I got what everybody else is having here in Madrid, unfortunately. So, I’m just going to try to push through for tomorrow.”
A runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka in the Spanish capital 12 months ago, Gauff has 3 300 points to defend on clay from Madrid through to her Roland Garros title defence in early June.
“I pulled out in Indian Wells. I’m not someone who likes to pull out, so I didn’t want to pull out again today. So, I’m glad that I was able to get through it,” added the two-time Grand Slam champion.
“I did start to feel better, not feeling like I had to throw up. They gave me some pills, so that definitely helped. But I was really tired.”
Fellow American Jessica Pegula was unable to join Gauff in the next round as the fifth seed suffered a 6-1, 6-4 upset at the hands of Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.
