Jannik Sinner faced his toughest test of the tournament in his quarterfinal clash, eventually overcoming a stubborn Francesco Cerundolo 7-6, 6-3.
2025 ATP Tour
Masters 1000
Italian Open
Foro Italico, Rome, Italy (Outdoor Clay)
Selected Quarterfinals and Semifinals- 15th-16th May
15th May- Quarterfinal
Jannik Sinner (1) 0.25 vs Casper Rudd (6) 2.8
Sinner was far from his fluid best against the clay-court specialist, winning just 67% of his first-serve points. But he made the big shots when it mattered most, spurred on by fanatical home support. Sinner- who is making his return from a three-month doping suspension- is yet to drop a set this fortnight. The reigning Aussie Open champ is now 10-0 for the season. He is currently on of the most insane hot streaks in recent tennis history, going 36-1 since the start of last year’s Cincinnati Open (including Grand Slam wins in New York and Melbourne). Still, clay has certainly not been Sinner’s forte. He has only reached one clay-court final in his admittedly young career, claiming the 2022 Croatia Open crown. He will be desperate to reach a maiden Masters 1000 clay-court final ahead of Roland Garros.
Next up for Sinner is a man who unquestionably knows how to get the job done on clay: Casper Rudd. The two-time Roland Garros finalist has won 12 of his 13 career titles on the sticky stuff. And he is on an impressive winning streak of his own, notching up a 9th straight win with his empathic 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jaume Munar. Rudd was simply too clinical for the Spainard, hitting 19 winners to 22 unforced errors in extremely slow conditions. The relentless depth and vicious topspin of his forehand was just too much for Munar to withstand. Rudd is now 24-6 for the year (he won his maiden Masters 1000 event at the recent Madrid Open). A three-time semifinalist here, Rudd clearly thrives in these spongy conditions. The Norwegian doesn’t possess Sinner’s power or Alcaraz’s on-court charisma. He has a calm demeanour and often floats under the radar. But make no mistake, he is shaping up to be one of this year’s chief French Open threats.
The Verdict: Rudd to win in three sets at 6.8- Sinner comfortably leads the head-to-head 3-0, thrashing Rudd when they last met at the ATP Tour Finals. However, this will be their maiden clay-court meeting. Rudd is yet to drop a set this week and is playing some of the best clay-court tennis of his career. He is never going to have a better shot at taking down the imposing Italian. I think Rudd- given his recent form- could upset the home favorite. Sinner never looked ultra-comfortable against Cerundolo and Rudd is further up the clay-court ladder.
