Jannik Sinner defeated Italian qualifier Andrea Pellegrino, 6-2, 6-3, in the fourth round of the Italian Open.
The four-time Grand Slam champion made light work of his countryman, booking his place in the quarter-finals.
When does Jannik Sinner next lose a tennis match? 👀
After the match, Sinner shared what he hopes will now happen to Pellegrino, the world number 155.
Jannik Sinner ‘hopes’ Andrea Pellegrino will receive a confidence boost from his Rome run
During his post-match press conference, Sinner was asked for his thoughts on the current state of Italian tennis.
“I think we are simply in a really good moment, to be honest,” he said.
“Many great players. All different players.
Every Italian player ranked inside the ATP top 200
| ATP Rank | Name | Age | Live ATP Rank |
| 1 | Jannik Sinner | 24 | 1 |
| 10 | Lorenzo Musetti | 24 | 11 |
| 12 | Flavio Cobolli | 24 | 12 |
| 20 | Luciano Darderi | 24 | 17 |
| 66 | Lorenzo Sonego | 31 | 67 |
| 80 | Mattia Bellucci | 24 | 70 |
| 100 | Matteo Berrettini | 30 | 105 |
| 106 | Matteo Arnaldi | 25 | 96 |
| 112 | Francesco Maestrelli | 23 | 128 |
| 141 | Stefano Travaglia | 34 | 136 |
| 145 | Francesco Passaro | 25 | 161 |
| 151 | Luca Nardi | 22 | 163 |
| 155 | Andrea Pellegrino | 29 | 126 |
| 164 | Giulio Zeppieri | 24 | 173 |
| 182 | Marco Cecchinato | 33 | 179 |
| 196 | Gianluca Cadenasso | 21 | 196 |
“You can see it here, a lot of Italian fans are coming to watch this kind of tournament.
“I think it’s really, really nice to be part of this movement.
“At the same time today, Andrea [Pellegrino] made an incredible tournament, with many, many great memories for him.
“Hopefully, this can give him confidence. I felt like today was a good match from both of us. Also very physical.
“I was very happy with my level.
“Also, he played some really good level. I wish him only the best for the rest of the season.
“Hopefully, this can give him a really good confidence boost for the rest of the season and also for his career.”
Pellegrino had lost five of his last six matches before the Italian Open, but bounced back in style in front of his home fans.
Andrea Pellegrino at the 2026 Italian Open
- Italian Open Q1 [WIN] vs Hugo Gaston
- Italian Open Q2 [WIN] vs Martin Landaluce
- Italian Open 1R [WIN] vs Luca Nardi
- Italian Open 2R [WIN] vs Arthur Fils
- Italian Open 3R [WIN] vs Frances Tiafoe
- Italian Open 4R [LOSS] vs Jannik Sinner
Whether the 29-year-old can carry that form through to the remainder of the clay-court season remains to be seen.
Every word Jannik Sinner said in his post-match interview
Immediately after winning his fourth-round match, Sinner said the following.
“Derbies are always very different, obviously. I’m very happy about the outcome, but at the same time, I’m very happy for him. I know he is working very hard,” he said.
“We played seven years ago, in a definitely smaller court, so it’s nice.
- 2019 M25 Santa Margherita Di Pul F – Jannik Sinner defeated Andrea Pellegrino, 6-1, 6-1
“Of course, from an Italian point of view, amazing that there are so many Italians, but at the same time, a bit unfortunate [that we meet] in the round of 16, but look, it’s been a good match from both of us, and now let’s see, hopefully I’m ready for the quarter-finals.
“I think I can be very happy, tricky conditions, in the end, a bit less wind, but in the beginning, it was not easy, but I’m happy with how I’m trying to handle this kind of situation, stages are getting bigger and bigger, so I’m happy to put myself in these kinds of positions.
“Tomorrow, a day off, it’s important for me, trying to rest, and hopefully I’m ready for the quarters.”
Who will Jannik Sinner play in the Italian Open quarter-finals?
Sinner will play Russia’s Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals.
The Italian leads their head-to-head 7-3, but has lost to Rublev on clay, at the 2022 French Open.
Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev’s head-to-head record
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2025 French Open – 4R | Jannik Sinner | Andrey Rublev | 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 |
| 2024 Cincinnati Open – QF | Jannik Sinner | Andrey Rublev | 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 |
| 2024 Canadian Open – QF | Andrey Rublev | Jannik Sinner | 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 |
| 2024 Australian Open – QF | Jannik Sinner | Andrey Rublev | 6-4, 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2023 Vienna Open – SF | Jannik Sinner | Andrey Rublev | 7-5, 7-6 |
| 2023 Miami Open – 4R | Jannik Sinner | Andrey Rublev | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2022 French Open – 4R | Andrey Rublev | Jannik Sinner | 1-6, 6-4, 2-0 (RET) |
| 2022 Monte Carlo Masters – 3R | Jannik Sinner | Andrey Rublev | 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 |
| 2021 Barcelona Open – QF | Jannik Sinner | Andrey Rublev | 6-2, 7-6 |
| 2020 Vienna Open – 2R | Andrey Rublev | Jannik Sinner | 2-1 (RET) |
Rublev would love to repeat the feat in Rome, although the odds are certainly stacked against him.
Sinner is unbeaten on clay this year, and last lost a match in February, at the Qatar Open.
Will Rublev be the man to end Sinner’s unbeaten streak? Only time will tell.
Sinner and Rublev will battle it out for a place in the Italian Open semi-finals on Thursday, May 14.
