Sinner glides past Rublev in Paris

Jannik Sinner kept a perfect Grand Slam record this season as the world No. 1 reached the French Open quarter-finals 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 over Andrey Rublev on Monday.

The Italian top seed, who claimed the Australian Open title in January, won his 18th straight at the majors, a run which dates to last autumn when he claimed US Open trophy honours. 

Sinner moved into his sixth consecutive Grand Slam QF. The 15th-seeded Rublev was denied his first win at a major over a top five opponent, with his record in that category now 0-10.

Sinner played his usual cool, calm game but said that appearances can be deceiving.

“Inside, there is a storm going on. Tennis is a mental game and you don’t want to show anything to your opponent. You try to understand how your opponent is feeling..

The Italian raced to 5-0 at the start, lifting the opening set in 28 minutes. Two breaks of Rublev and the second set was done.

Sinner clinched the efficient victory in the third,breaking in the final game as Rublev’s return hit the net cord and bounced out on a Sinner match point. 

“I’m very happy with how I handled the situation,” the winner said.”We both know each other well

“Things can quickly go in a bad way, especially in five-set matches.. I was proud to finish in three sets.

“Today was a good performance. We’ll keep going and see what happens.”