The 2024 Italian Open continued its third-round action on Tuesday, with world No. 1 and top men’s seed Jannik Sinner extending his historic run toward a maiden home title, while several other seeds secured their spots in the final eight of both men’s and women’s draws.
Sinner, the 24-year-old Italian trailblazer, delivered a calm, composed performance against compatriot and surprise qualifier Andrea Pellegrino to seal a straight-sets 6-2, 6-3 victory. The clash was never a closely contested battle from the opening game, as the tournament favorite outclassed his lower-ranked opponent on Rome’s iconic center court in front of more than 10,000 home fans.
With the win, Sinner notched his 31st consecutive victory in Masters 1000 events, pulling level with Novak Djokovic’s all-time record streak. The result also sets up a quarterfinal showdown against either 12th seed Andrey Rublev or Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili.
For Pellegrino, the 29-year-old underdog’s run to the Italian Open’s last 16 already marks the deepest run of his career at a Masters 1000 event. Making his first main draw appearance at a top-tier ATP tournament, Pellegrino is set to climb to a career-high world ranking of 123rd following the tournament. Though he ultimately fell to Sinner, he earned warm applause from the home crowd for a creditable performance, showcasing sharp technique when given opportunities to attack. Sinner, meanwhile, never needed to push to his full limit to secure the comfortable win.
If Sinner goes on to claim the title, he will not only secure a record-extending sixth consecutive Masters 1000 trophy, but also become the first Italian man to win the Italian Open at Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta claimed the crown 50 years ago. With top rival Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by injury and Djokovic eliminated in an early upset, Sinner enters the latter stages of the tournament as the overwhelming favorite to win, building form ahead of his pursuit of a career Grand Slam at the upcoming French Open.
On the other half of the men’s draw, Norwegian clay-court specialist Casper Ruud eased into the quarterfinals with a lopsided 6-3, 6-1 win over Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti, who was visibly hampered by a left thigh injury. Ruud has yet to drop a single set through the first three rounds in Rome, and he looked sharp despite blustery conditions on center court.
Musetti, who had required medical treatment after his third-round win over Francisco Cerundolo, called a medical timeout for his thigh issue during the second set against Ruud. The Italian will drop out of the men’s world top 10 rankings ahead of next week’s French Open, and he remained uncertain about his participation in the season’s second Grand Slam after the match. “I don’t know, in the next couple of days we’ll do some closer tests, something I’ve not been able to do given that I’m constantly playing,” he told reporters.
Ruud, who is drawn opposite Sinner in the bracket, will face 13th seed Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals after capitalizing on Musetti’s fitness struggles. “I realised that… we try to make him run as much as possible. It’s cruel and it’s brutal, but that’s sport,” Ruud told reporters post-match.
Khachanov booked his own quarterfinal spot by ending the Cinderella run of Croatian qualifier Dino Prizmic, who had shocked the tennis world by knocking out Djokovic in the second round. Khachanov defeated the 19-year-old rising star 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) to secure his place in the final eight.
In the women’s draw, 34-year-old Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea continued her dream run to the Italian Open semifinals, one day after upsetting world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the third round. Cirstea dropped just one game in the first set against Jelena Ostapenko before closing out a 6-1, 7-6 (7/0) victory. The Romanian, who has announced she will retire at the end of the 2024 season, will next play either Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva on center court for a spot in Saturday’s women’s final.