World No. 1 Jannik Sinner continued his red-hot form at the Madrid Open, overcoming Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-5 on Tuesday to storm into the quarterfinals. The 87-minute clash at Manolo Santana Stadium marked Sinner’s first win over the Brit on the ATP Tour, pushing his tour-level streak to 20 and Masters 1000 wins to 25 in a row.
From the outset, Sinner dictated terms, suffocating Norrie with baseline mastery and zero break chances conceded in the first set. A mid-second-set wobble saw him broken at 3-2, sparking Norrie’s resurgence. The underdog clawed to 5-5, but crumbled on serve.
A pivotal double fault at 15/30 opened the door, and after fending off two break points, Norrie folded. Sinner closed out confidently, setting up a last-eight clash with either Rafael Jodar or Vit Kopriva.
The Italian joins an elite club: only Novak Djokovic (2011, 2015) has matched his feat of 20 straight Masters 1000 opening wins in a season. With recent conquests in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Paris, Sinner eyes five consecutive Masters titles—a first in tennis history.
Reflecting on the early start, Sinner noted, ‘Playing at 11 a.m. is unusual for me, but I focus on performing my best regardless.’ About Norrie, he said, ‘We’ve practiced a lot together. My serve was clutch today. Clay here plays differently—it’s hard to gauge, but reaching quarters feels great.’
As favorites eye upsets elsewhere, Sinner’s dominance underscores his status as the season’s standout, primed for more glory on the Madrid clay.
