World No. 1 Jannik Sinner continues to show why he sits atop the ATP rankings. Since returning from suspension, the Italian has dropped only three matches and is now through to the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open. In doing so, he joined Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in reaching an exclusive career milestone.
The Italian rolled past Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2, avenging two previous losses to the Canadian. With the win, the world No. 1 advanced to the semifinals without dropping a set as he looks to defend the title he won over Frances Tiafoe in 2024.
“Today I felt great on court,” Sinner said in his post-match press conference. “I think you saw that but every day is going to be different. Tomorrow is a day off, which is good for me. We will try and put some reps in and then see what I can do in the semis”.
With the win over the Canadian, Sinner notched his 25th straight victory on hard courts, becoming just the fifth man this century to achieve the feat, joining Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal.
Sinner about his formidable performance
The World No. 1 delivered a dominant performance, capitalizing on his serve and neutralizing his opponent’s. Sinner won 18 of 23 points on his first serve and 10 of 16 on his second, while also taking 29 of the 45 points played on Auger-Aliassime’s serve.
“I felt that I was returning very well today,” Sinner said. “I think that was the key point, which gave me the confidence to serve well. I had a small drop in the second set when he broke me. It could have been a small change but I am happy I broke him back quite early”.
Sinner on facing Auger-Aliassime
Surprisingly, Sinner entered the match trailing in their head-to-head record, with Auger-Aliassime having won both of their previous encounters—the first at the 2022 Madrid Masters and the second at this very tournament two years ago. Fully aware of the challenge ahead, Sinner made sure to prepare meticulously. After the match, he praised the Canadian’s skill set and physical condition.
“He is a very difficult opponent because he serves well, he moves well. Physically in incredible shape and hits the forehand very well. But we prepared in the best way, also tactically and I felt like today I was playing some great tennis,“ Sinner told reporters.