ROME : Jannik Sinner continued his dominant build-up to the French Open by setting a new record with his 32nd consecutive Masters 1000 victory after beating Andrey Rublev 6-2 6-4 to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Thursday.
The world number one surpassed the previous mark held by Novak Djokovic and moved closer to another milestone, with Djokovic still the only player to have won all nine Masters 1000 tournaments.
“I don’t play for records. I play just for my own story,” Sinner said after the win.
The Italian will next face either Daniil Medvedev or Spanish teenager Martin Landaluce for a place in the final.
“At the same time, it means a lot to me, but tomorrow is another opponent,” Sinner added.
“Now the highest priority for me is trying to recover as much as I can physically. Emotionally, it takes a lot playing here at home.”
Sinner made a fast start against the 12th-seeded Rublev, breaking serve in the opening game before racing into a 2-0 lead.
Rublev briefly threatened to respond, but Sinner saved break points in a lengthy fourth game to stay in control and later broke again to close out the opening set.
The top seed secured another early break in the second set and never allowed Rublev back into the contest, sealing victory in one hour and 31 minutes with 19 winners.
The home crowd in Rome chanted Sinner’s name after he completed the record-breaking triumph.
Earlier this month, Sinner became the first player to win five straight Masters 1000 titles after lifting the Madrid Open trophy, following victories in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo.
Rome remains the only Masters 1000 title missing from his collection after he lost last year’s final to Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz, who is sidelined with a wrist injury, will miss the French Open, potentially boosting Sinner’s hopes of winning a first title at Roland Garros — the only Grand Slam absent from his résumé.
The Italian will now target a fifth major title when the French Open begins on May 24.
