Jannik Sinner wasn't in top form in his second-round match at the Madrid Masters. Playing 29-year-old, and ATP No. 104, Benjamin Bonzi, the ATP No. 1 had lots of break chances throughout much of the first round, and he couldn't convert in a way the Italian normally does.
In fact, something far more stunning occurred. While Bonzi didn't even have a break point against Sinner in set one, the Frenchman won the tie-break to take the opening set. In the last six months, Jannik Sinner has not only not lost Masters 1000 matches, but he's only dropped one set.
That is, he had only dropped a set until he lost to Bonzi to open the second-round match. Were fans about to see one of the bigger upsets in recent memory? Anything was possible.
Jannik Sinner survives Benjamin Bonzi at the 2026 Madrid Masters
The issue was that Sinner kept making unforced errors at the worst possible times. He would often press Bonzi when the Frenchman served, but those missed break points were due to the Italian hitting the ball into the net. It was, for lack of a better word, strange.
The second set made much more sense. Sinner raced back to take the set easily, 6-1. The ATP No. 1 landed 81 percent of his first serves, and won 40 percent of Bonzi's first serves. It was domination that appeared to return the world to something more normal. Bonzi also had just three winners, but 10 unforced errors.
The third set started tighter, and much like the first set. Only at 2-all, Jannik Sinner was able to get the break that had avoided him in set one. He then consolidated the break with a relatively easy hold, and he jumped out to a 4-2 lead, and then a 5-3 lead. Any drama with the potential outcome of the match was seemingly long gone. He took set two 6-4.
Benjamin Bonzi should be proud of how he played, though, and maybe that will help him in the future. For the most part, he held his own against the best player on the ATP tour.
As for Sinner, he likely learned on Friday that he will play the Rome Masters and the French Open without facing Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz announced he was withdrawing from those events due to a recent wrist injury. By the time he returns, whenever that is, Sinner will have a firm grasp atop the rankings.
Sinner will next play another qualifier, Elmer Moller, in the third round. Moller is currently ranked 169, and seemingly has little chance to beat the Italian.
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