Andrey Rublev entered his quarterfinal match of the 2026 Rome Masters with the right attitude. He joked before he played Jannik Sinner, who had won 31-straight Masters 1000 matches, that due to the Italian's win streak, he must be closer to losing. Not quite yet.
In the first set, Rublev didn't play poorly, missing some winners by millimeters. The issue is that against Sinner, players can't afford to miss much. The Russian was broken early, and then again at 4-2 and at love. By late in the set, the Italian had full control of the match and took the opening set 6-2.
Sinner was simply doing Sinner things. He returned with brilliance, even if it was just to keep points in play. He would then push Rublev deep on the court, forcing the Russian to play defensive tennis from off the court. That is certainly no way to defeat the ATP No. 1.
Jannik Sinner overcomes Andrey Rublev at the 2026 Rome Masters
Rublev does possess a volcanic temper, but he even seemed to understand his fate, just as he probably did entering the match. No high-end athlete is going to assume they are going to lose entering a match or game, but Rublev's joking about Sinner's recent dominance spoke volumes.
When one plays Jannik Sinner, they aren't just playing against his high-level skill set, but his growing aura of being unbeatable. Rublev couldn't have been helped by the fact that he wasn't playing badly, but Sinner was playing at a level the Russian didn't have.
To open the second set, the Italian got another break. As good as the top-seed normally was on his serve, one might have safely assumed the match was done. Rublev was able to get Sinner to two break points, for instance, but couldn't convert either of them. Sinner converted both of his opportunities in set one and the third at the start of set two.
Plus, while Andrey Rublev relies on immense power to win matches, Sinner was outpacing Rublev's forehand by nearly 10 mph and his backhand by almost five. Even the Russian's strength was bested by the Italian.
The Italian did begin to struggle midway through the second set, though. He appeared to tire and was actually broken after leading 4-2. He kept battling on his serve, though, and while he wasn't at his best by the end of set two, he had enough to win it 6-4.
By winning the match, Sinner is only two steps from earning his first Rome Masters title. That is the only Masters of the nine he hasn't yet won. If he is victorious in Rome, he will be the youngest player ever (he's 24) to have won all of the Masters events.
Jannik Sinner will next play the winner of the Daniil Medvedev and Martin Landaluce match in the semifinals on Friday. While not known for his clay-court prowess, Medvedev did win the Italian Open in 2023.
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