Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: The Italian Open is the only Masters 1000 event Jannik Sinner has not won
World number one Jannik Sinner launched his quest for further tennis history with a comfortable straight-sets win over Sebastian Ofner in the second round of the Italian Open.
A title triumph in Rome would see Sinner become only the second player—after Novak Djokovic—to complete a career Golden Masters by winning all nine ATP Masters 1000 events.
The Italian has been in dominant form on the men’s tour, claiming the last five Masters tournaments and losing just two matches all season.
Playing in front of a packed crowd, Sinner defeated Austria’s Ofner 6-3 6-4, extending his winning streak at Masters events to 29 matches. He faced no break points and conceded only six points behind his first serve in another commanding display.
The 24-year-old reached the final in Rome last year after returning from a three-month doping suspension, but fell to rival Carlos Alcaraz.
“This tournament has always been very special for me. I started here with a wildcard years ago,” Sinner said. “Each year you come back, you reflect a little bit. I’m really happy to be here. Let’s see what happens in the next round.”
Sinner’s next opponent will be either 26th seed Jakub Mensik—the only player besides Djokovic to beat him this year—or Australia’s Alexei Popyrin.
Sinner has not lost a Masters 1000 match since Shanghai in October 2025 and has taken 58 of his last 60 sets at this level. No one has managed to challenge him in recent months, as he reclaimed the world number one spot from Alcaraz with his Monte Carlo victory last month.
With Alcaraz ruled out of the French Open due to injury, it is difficult to see who might stop Sinner from completing a career Grand Slam in Paris later this month.
Earlier, British number one Cameron Norrie was eliminated in the second round by Argentina’s Thiago Agustin Tirante. The 17th seed lost 6-3 7-5 to Tirante, who is ranked a career-best 69th in the world. Norrie, ranked 19th, was playing his opening match after a first-round bye. He quickly fell behind 3-0 in the first set after losing his opening service game, and Tirante closed it out in 34 minutes. The second set was more competitive, with both players holding serve until Tirante broke for 6-5 and then served out the match to love.
Norrie’s exit ends British involvement in the singles draw in Rome, following Katie Boulter’s first-round loss to Germany’s Eva Lys in the women’s event on Wednesday. Jack Draper, Emma Raducanu and Sonay Kartal are among the British players absent from the tournament this year due to various injuries and illnesses.
Tirante, currently Argentina’s seventh-highest ranked male player, will face Italy’s 10th seed Flavio Cobolli in the third round.