Jannik Sinner booked his place in the Madrid Open round of 16 with a straight sets win against Elmer Moller.
Sinner rarely looked fazed during Sunday’s contest, defeating his Danish opponent 6-2, 6-3.
The Italian, who recently reclaimed the world number one spot from Carlos Alcaraz, is seeking to become the first man in tennis history to win five consecutive Masters 1000 events.
Following his victory over Moller, Sinner has now won 24 consecutive Masters 1000 matches, dating back to October 2025.
So, who was the last player to defeat the imperious Italian at Masters 1000 level?
Tallon Griekspoor is the last player to defeat Jannik Sinner at an ATP Masters 1000 tournament
Following his victory at the 2025 China Open, Jannik Sinner would have been confident of winning a second consecutive title in China
Can anyone now stop Jannik Sinner from winning Roland Garros after Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal?
If yes, who?
Carlos Alcaraz was not competing in the Shanghai Masters, making Sinner the runaway favourite to win his second title at the event.
Sinner began the event in his usual imperious fashion, comfortably defeating Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-3 in his opening match.
However, in the third round, Sinner’s hopes of winning the event were quashed.
Jannik Sinner’s record at Masters 1000 events since the 2025 Shanghai Masters
- Paris Masters: CHAMPION – defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final
- Indian Wells: CHAMPION – defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final
- Miami Open: CHAMPION – defeated Jiri Lehecka in the final
- Monte Carlo: CHAMPION – defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final
- Madrid Open: ?
Sinner took an early lead against Dutch 27th seed Tallon Griekspoor, winning the opening set 7-6.
However, Sinner began to suffer from cramping amid soaring temperatures and extreme humidity.
The Italian, unable to walk at times, was forced to retire from the match while trailing 7-6, 5-7, 2-3.
“This is definitely not the way you want to win,” said Griekspoor after the contest, as per The Guardian.
“Brutal conditions here in Shanghai all week already. I thought we were still a little bit lucky to play in the evening without sun, but two hours, 36 minutes on the clock, middle of the third set.
“Sorry for him, I wish him a speedy recovery.”
“The first set was high quality from both, very dominant in the service games.
“I thought he played an unbelievable tie-break: He hit a couple of lines, served really well.
“I got a bit lucky at 3-4 in the second, where I saved 0/40 and served my way out of it. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck to win these matches.”
Sinner said the cramps were due to a ‘mental factor’
Two weeks after his retirement, Sinner offered an explanation for his cramps while in conversation with Italian outlet Cronache Spogliatoio.
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“The cramps in Shanghai? I think they were due to a mental factor,” said Sinner, as reported by TNT Sports.
“I talked with my team, from that point of view I wasn’t perfect, but now everything’s fine. The mistake was mine.
“The heat and humidity got me down.
“You learn from these things. Cramps can happen, and I was one of many to suffer from them.”
As evidenced by his recent results, Sinner did not let his Shanghai loss affect him for too long.
The Italian has gone on to dominate the Masters 1000 scene, winning the last four available titles.
