Jannik Sinner is living his best life. Recently off a three-month suspension (did he do it intentionally or did he not?) for failing two drug tests in March 2024, the ATP No. 1 has bounced back in massive fashion. Was he going to be rusty? Who knew? He wasn't.
Sinner is now in the Italian Open semifinals after not playing since January. He had never made it past the quarterfinals at the event. While he dropped points in several tournaments in February through April because he was not allowed to play, he didn't play in Rome last year due to an injury. All the points he is earning are on top of his previous number, with no points to defend.
Enter poor Casper Ruud, a perennial top-10 player who is excellent on clay. He was Sinner's quarterfinal opponent in Rome on Thursday, though he appeared to be a ten-year-old Sinner might have a fun time practicing with. There was no drama. Sinner absolutely destroyed the overwhelmed Norwegian.
Jannik Sinner dismantles Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open
Ruud did not win a point in his first two service games and did not hit a forehand winner until the second set. His Italian foe raced out to a 6-0 win in the first set and led 2-0 in the second set after an early break. The question was not whether Sinner would win, but rather whether Ruud would win a game.
In the end, he did. One. And he was lucky to take those. Sinner never let up, dipped in form, and kept blasting 106 mph forehands at Ruud, who had no defense to the blitz in a 6-0 6-1 loss. The Norwegian is a good player, but he will never be as good as Sinner can be, and Ruud saw the Italian at his best in the quarterfinals.
During his run at the Italian Open, Sinner was relaxed enough to have an audience with the new pope. He gave a tennis racket to Pope Leo XIV, and there was some conversation about hitting the ball around. After what Ruud witnessed firsthand on Thursday, he might wonder if the pope had a better chance against Sinner than he did. Sinner next plays Tommy Paul in the semifinals.