Sinner, Alcaraz advance to Italian Open quarterfinals

Jannik Sinner overcame his biggest test since returning to action at the Italian Open in Rome, beating Francisco Cerundolo 7-6(2), 6-3. Cerundolo holds the most wins on clay on the ATP Tour in 2025, but he was unable to stop Sinner from advancing to the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000.

Jannik Sinner continues to maintain stable performance in Rome (Photo: Getty).

In a match that lasted 2 hours and 16 minutes, Sinner showed precision and resilience. "He is a very strong opponent, it was a big challenge for me. I tried to keep my spirit up, tried to play every point. I am happy because I feel like I improved my performance," Sinner shared after the match.

Sinner saved 6 out of 8 break-points. In the first set, Sinner broke the fifth game, leading 3-2, but Cerundolo immediately demanded a break. The two players had to play a tie-break and Sinner won overwhelmingly 7-2 after winning 4 mini breaks. In the second set, Sinner easily led 5-2 and Cerundolo fought back strongly. Demanding a break to shorten the score to 2-5, Cerundolo saved two match-points in the 8th game. In the 9th game, Cerundolo also had two chances to break the game, but Sinner combined many variations to break his opponent's rhythm and secure a 6-3 victory.

With this victory, Sinner extended his winning streak to 24 matches and became, along with Filippo Volandri, the Italian men with the most quarter-final appearances in Rome this century. Along with Lorenzo Musetti, it was the first time two Italians had reached the quarter-finals in Rome since 1984.

Sinner will face either Madrid Open champion Casper Ruud or Jaume Munar in the quarter-finals. "I'm happy to be back after three months out. We'll see, anything can happen," Sinner said of his recovery.

Carlos Alcaraz had a tough match against Karen Khachanov (Photo: Getty).

In a dramatic match at the Italian Open, Carlos Alcaraz showed his top form to overcome Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, booking a ticket to the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome.

Alcaraz, who is ranked No. 3 in the ATP rankings, had a mixed match against Khachanov. Despite losing the lead in both the second and third sets, the Spaniard recovered quickly to maintain a perfect head-to-head record against his Russian opponent.

"It feels great to win at the end against a big and strong opponent like Khachanov. Physically, I struggled a bit. There was no pain, but I felt tired. The match was really tough. I had to run a lot, so I'm really proud of the way I fought for every ball," Alcaraz shared.

With the victory, which lasted 2 hours and 29 minutes, Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals in Rome for the first time and has now reached that stage at all nine Masters 1000 events. He is the first Spaniard to reach the last eight in Rome since Rafael Nadal in 2021.

Alcaraz will face fifth seed Jack Draper in the semi-finals. Draper came from behind to beat Corentin Moutet 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. It will be a clash between the players ranked first and second in the ATP Live Race To Turin rankings for 2025. Alcaraz leads the head-to-head series 3-2, but Draper won their last meeting.

"Jack is playing great. The way he plays is really great. I've watched his matches and I have to be ready for that. I think it's going to be a great fight," Alcaraz commented on his upcoming opponent.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/sinner-alcaraz-tien-vao-tu-ket-italian-open-20250514060302305.htm