Jannik Sinner kept up his run of strong form on Tuesday, easing past Britain’s Cameron Norrie in straight sets.
The Italian is chasing a fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title and made light work of the match, taking down Norrie 6-2, 7-5 in the Caja Magica.
Sinner wasn’t at his best during the match, but he still managed to reach the quarter-finals. With Carlos Alcaraz out of the tournament, Sinner remains the favourite for the title.
Since falling in the Australian Open semi-finals, Sinner has been on a remarkable tear, dropping only one match across his last four tournaments.
Sinner has picked up Masters 1000 trophies in Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo this year. After three more wins in Madrid, he now stands at 20 consecutive Masters victories to open the season.
Sinner is just the second player to reach this mark since the ATP format began in 2009, joining Novak Djokovic.
Novak Djokovic did it twice – once in 2011 and again in 2015.
Djokovic’s first streak lasted an incredible 29 matches. He took titles at Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, and Canada before Andy Murray stopped him in the Cincinnati Open final.
In 2015, Djokovic won his first 23 matches of the year across Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome, and Canada. Again though it was Andy Murray who broke the run by beating him in the Canadian Open final.
Speaking to reporters in Madrid, Sinner downplayed the significance of his current win streak.
“Yeah, no, it’s good,” he said. “But at the same time you don’t think about it.
“You know, you have one opponent every day, and you just try to have the best, the better day than your opponent.”
Sinner explained how each match presents its own set of challenges and adjustments.
“Different conditions, depending also on the time slots you play. Different opponent, you know. Today it was a lefty, so you have to change a couple of things.
“But I’m not thinking [about it]. I’m trying to put myself in the best possible position to win as many matches as possible, and that’s it.”
He emphasised the mental preparation required for each match:
Sinner will extend his win streak to 21 matches if he defeats Vit Kopriva or Rafael Jodar on Wednesday.
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