Italian Open: Sinner Wins, Auger-Aliassime Out as Italians Shine in Rome

Sinner marches on at Rome Masters as Auger-Aliassime suffers shock exit

Jannik Sinner extended his 24-match winning run in Rome, while fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was upset by Mariano Navone in the second round.

Jannik Sinner advanced with a straight-sets victory while Flavio Cobolli and Mattia Bellucci also progressed on a strong day for Italian men at the Foro Italico...

Jannik Sinner opened his Italian Open run on Saturday with a straightforward 6-3, 6-4 win over Sebastian Ofner, launching his attempt to stretch his record of five consecutive Masters 1000 titles.

Playing in front of a packed centre court crowd in Rome, the world No. 1 delivered a commanding performance that gave Austrian Ofner few openings, despite the breezy conditions.

The 24-year-old wrapped up his 24th straight victory in 1 hour 40 minutes without looking troubled, booking a third-round meeting with either Alexei Popyrin or Jakub Mensik.

No Italian man has lifted the trophy at the Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago. With Carlos Alcaraz absent, Sinner is tipped to go further than last year’s runner-up finish to his rival.

“I'm trying to get into a good match rhythm again, even though I've played a lot in the last couple of months... I'm very happy, and now let's see what's coming also in the next round.”

The historic run continues 💪@janniksin defeats Ofner to tie Federer for third-longest ATP Masters 1000 winning streak since the series began in 1990 👏@InteBNLdItalia | #IBI26 pic.twitter.com/dhrjrOBqwr

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 9, 2026

Sinner was so much in control that he even managed a smile when play was paused twice in the second set due to fans feeling unwell in the stands.

“I’m very happy to be back here, it’s always been a very special tournament for me,” said Sinner.

Saturday also saw two other Italian men advance, with Flavio Cobolli defeating France’s Terence Atmane 7-6(1), 6-3. Cobolli was part of Italy’s Davis Cup-winning squad last year when Sinner was unavailable.

World No. 64 Mattia Bellucci reached the fourth round after coming from a set down to beat 24th seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.

Former champion Daniil Medvedev will start in the third round after his scheduled centre court opener was cancelled when opponent Tomas Machac withdrew with an undisclosed illness.

Sealing it it STYLE! 👏

Mariano Navone takes the first set vs Auger-Aliassime 7-6 with an incredible point 🙌#IBI26 pic.twitter.com/7qUQZKtNFr

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 9, 2026

Fourth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime was upset in the second round, falling in straight sets 7-6(4), 7-6(5) to Argentina’s Mariano Navone, who is ranked 44th in the world.