Sinner Matches Djokovic Record With 31st Straight Masters Win

The top-ranked Sinner beat qualifier Andrea Pellegrino 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Italian Open quarterfinals on Tuesday and match Novak Djokovic’s record with a 31st consecutive Masters Series victory.

Sinner hasn’t been beaten in a Masters Series event — the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams — since he retired with cramps in extreme heat against Tallon Griekspoor in Shanghai in October.

Djokovic won 31 straight Masters matches in 2011.

“If you want to be a great player you've got to play on all the surfaces and all the tournaments at your maximum,” Sinner said. “It's the mind that makes the difference.”

- Author: ANDREW DAMPF, AP