World No. 1 Jannik Sinner passed a stern examination of form and fitness in his return from a three-month doping suspension, defeating clay specialist Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (2), 6-3 on Tuesday to book his place in the Italian Open quarter-finals.
The Italian was facing a significant test against Cerundolo, who leads the ATP Tour in clay-court wins this season and reached the Madrid Open semi-finals earlier this month. Adding to the challenge, Cerundolo had beaten Sinner at the same stage of this tournament two years ago.
But buoyed by a vociferous home crowd and an impressive recent run—this is his 24th straight win—Sinner delivered under pressure. He has yet to drop a set in Rome and continues to build momentum ahead of the French Open, which begins on 25 May.
“Today I felt that I raised my level,” Sinner said after the rain-delayed match, which was pushed into the evening session. “It was a very long day, but I need this. I’m happy to be back. I was three months out, so every situation for me, I feel very fortunate to be here, very lucky.”
The 22-year-old was made to work for it. He weathered long rallies and eventually found his range on the drop shot—particularly effective in the tiebreaker. Sinner even required a medical timeout for treatment to his right foot but responded immediately, breaking Cerundolo in the next game to take firm control of the match.
Rome marks Sinner’s first tournament since lifting the Australian Open title in January. While his three-month ban—served as part of a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency—drew raised eyebrows for its timing, the Italian has silenced critics with his level of play in the capital.
He will next face either Madrid champion Casper Ruud or Jaume Munar.
On the other half of the draw, Carlos Alcaraz was pushed to the limit in his 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win over Karen Khachanov. The Spaniard, seeking a first Rome title, extended his perfect head-to-head record over the Russian to 5–0, but not without a scare.
Alcaraz appeared physically taxed during the contest, often stretching for deep returns and visibly fatigued in the latter stages. “Physically I was struggling a little bit,” the 21-year-old admitted. “Not pain—just tired. I had to run a lot. I’m proud of how I fought for every ball.”
Wearing a long black brace over his right leg, Alcaraz showed no signs of aggravating the injury that forced him to withdraw from Madrid. With a 12–1 record on clay this year, he now prepares for a quarter-final showdown with fifth seed Jack Draper—the Brit who defeated him earlier this year in the Indian Wells semi-finals.
While Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 3–2, Draper will take confidence from his comeback win against Corentin Moutet earlier in the day and his recent form.
With two of the sport’s brightest stars still in the mix, and the crowd roaring its approval, Rome appears set for a thrilling finish.