Sinner keeps perfect Italian Open record in sweep of Pellegrino

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Three matches, zero sets dropped.

That’s how you begin an ATP Masters 1000 event in style.

After dominant wins over Sebastian Ofner and Alexei Popyrin, Jannik Sinner picked up where he left off and kept the engines running against Andrea Pellegrino, 6-2, 6-3, on May 12, 2026, at the Foro Italico in Rome.

Sinner immediately stole the momentum after breaking Pellegrino’s first service game, en route to a commanding 6-2 win for a 1-0 lead.

Pellegrino showed a decent fight after going toe-to-toe with Sinner during their long baseline rally exchanges, but the home bet just couldn’t withstand the world No. 1’s deep, flat groundstrokes that were on point the whole match.

Sinner sealed the first 26 minutes of action with a flurry of forehand passing-shot winners and three highlight-reel return aces.

Although Pellegrino played a more consistent defensive game in the following set, Sinner’s deadly cross-court attacks paved the way for another lopsided outing, backstopped by a series of service breaks.

Pellegrino targeted Sinner’s backhand in the last three games of the second set in hopes of slowing him down, but the brave strategy went to no avail as the Italian stalwart smothered him with off-the-bounce winners taken from the wide side angle.

Despite having standout moments, particularly midway through the second set, the strong-serving Pellegrino’s ride was cut short after facing a laser-focused Sinner.

From his trademark baseline winners to an efficient net defense, Sinner outmatched Pellegrino, winning 63 points in just two sets.

Aside from the impressive offensive tally, Sinner also did well on the receiving end with 30 points on the return, including three return aces and four break points.

“I am very happy with the outcome,” Sinner said after the win.

“I am very happy for him. We played seven years ago on a smaller court, and it is nice. From an Italian point of view, it is amazing there are so many Italians in the round of 16. It was a good match for both of us,” he said.

With the win, Sinner formalized his entry into the tournament’s quarterfinal phase, where he will square off against Andrey Rublev at 9 p.m. today.