Jannik Sinner has eased into the round of 16 of the Italian Open after a comfortable victory over Alexei Popyrin.
Sinner defeated Popyrin 6-2, 6-0 in the Italian capital, which followed his 6-3, 6-4 win over Sebastian Ofner in his opening match.
The ATP number one now meets fellow Italian Andrea Pellegrino, who is enjoying a memorable run that started out in Italian Open qualifying.
Arthur Fils retired hurt in the early moments of their second round match, which arrived in between shock wins over Luca Nardi and Frances Tiafoe.
Sinner now represents his toughest challenge yet, although the top seed has suggested that losing would not be the end of the world for him right now.
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Jannik Sinner suggests losing in Rome could help him at Roland Garros
Sinner told Tennis Channel after beating Popyrin: “It’s a tournament that I haven’t won. It’s a very prestigious tournament, being Italian and I’m extremely happy to play here.
“I just try to do my best. At the same time in any case, it’s a win-win situation for me at the moment.
“If I go on it’s great, but if I lose it’s also great because I have a little bit more time to recover for Roland Garros, so I am a bit more relaxed.
“At the same time here is a lot of fans who are coming to watch me, Flavio [Cobolli] and Lorenzo [Musetti], so we are trying to give something positive back.”
It’s a fantastic position for Sinner to be in, although he will still be eager to continue his momentum heading into Roland Garros.
Moreover, he’ll still be keen to lift the trophy in front of his home fans, while victory would also mean completing the career Golden Masters by winning all nine Masters 1000 events.
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Jannik Sinner compares the conditions in Rome and Madrid
Sinner claimed his most recent ATP Masters 1000 title at the Madrid Open, which represented a fifth successive title at that level.
Discussing if he prefers the conditions there or in Rome, he said: “It’s tough to say. You can control a little bit more the rallies [in Rome] because there is going to be a bit more rallying when the conditions are slower and a bit heavier.
“At the same time I felt like in Madrid, if someone serves very well, it gives you a huge impact in a very good way.
“Here is definitely different, the first couple of rounds are always very tough. Now we try to keep up the good work and we will see what is coming in the next round.”
Sinner is the strong favorite to overcome his compatriot Pellegrino, with the winner of Andrey Rublev versus Nikoloz Basilashvili awaiting should he come out on top.
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