The ATP1000 Rome Masters saw its second-round matches conclude on Sunday, with the 32-player field taking shape. Top seed and world No.1 Jannik Sinner continued his dominant form, defeating Austria’s Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 6-4 in his opening match. This victory extended Sinner’s Masters-level winning streak to 29 matches, tying Roger Federer’s record. He now stands just two wins shy of Novak Djokovic’s all-time mark of 31 straight Masters wins. Should the Italian reach the semifinals, he will claim that record from Djokovic. Sinner’s next opponent will be Australia’s Alexei Popyrin, who overcame Czech teen Jakub Mensik in three sets.
12th seed Andrey Rublev of Russia played steadily, defeating Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4 for his third consecutive win over the Serb. He will next face 21st seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain, who dismissed Chile’s Cristian Garin in straight sets.
The day was marked by several major upsets. Argentina’s Mariano Navone shocked 4th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada 7-6(4), 7-6(5). Qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia pulled off a massive upset, defeating 5th seed and American No.1 Ben Shelton 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3. Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry eliminated 17th seed Cameron Norrie of Britain 6-3, 7-5. Spanish lucky loser Bernabe Zapata Miralles beat former US Open champion Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4. Serbia’s Hamad Medjedovic rallied to defeat 27th seed Joao Fonseca of Brazil 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(1). Spaniard Pedro Martinez outlasted 28th seed Corentin Moutet of France 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4). French young star Arthur Fils retired due to injury while trailing 0-4 in the first set, sending qualifier Andrea Pellegrino through. Other players advancing to the third round include Flavio Cobolli, Mattia Bellucci, Frances Tiafoe, and Brandon Nakashima.
On the women’s side, the WTA1000 Rome tournament saw its third-round matches begin, and like the men’s event, it was a day of surprises. Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea, who plans to retire at the end of the season, stunned world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 7-5. This was Cirstea’s first career win over a world No.1, making her the oldest player (36 years, 28 days) to achieve that milestone. She also became the oldest player to defeat a reigning No.1 on clay. Another shock came from defending champion Jasmine Paolini of Italy, who squandered three match points and lost to Belgium’s Elise Mertens 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3, ending her title defense at home.
In other women’s matches, Czech teenager Linda Noskova defeated Croatia’s Jana Fett 6-1, 6-3 to reach the round of 16 for the first time. She will next face Cirstea. 8th seed Mirra Andreeva of Russia beat Switzerland’s Jil Teichmann 6-1, 4-6, 6-0. Russian Anna Kalinskaya defeated 12th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 6-4, 6-3 to reach her first WTA 1000 round of 16 on clay. She will next face Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who came back to beat China’s Zheng Qinwen. Americans Coco Gauff and Madison Keys also advanced.
Turning to Chinese players, at the ATP Challenger in Wuxi, China, 5th seed Bu Yun Chaokete defeated compatriot Cui Jie 6-1, 7-5 in the semifinals to reach the final. He will face Korean No.1 Kwon Soon-woo for the title. In the WTA125 Jiangxi Tennis Open, You Xiaodi and Liang En-shuo won their respective semifinals, setting up an all-Chinese final in the Strait Derby. Who do you think will emerge victorious?
Finally, can you guess who this upset player crying after a loss is? {IMAGE_placeholder_for_guess_game} No hints this time!
(Answer from previous round: Aryna Sabalenka)
