Posted by Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday April 30, 2024
Jannik Sinner dropped a set for the first time on Tuesday in Madrid, but the Italian responded bravely to overcome Karen Khachanov, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3, to reach her first quarterfinal at the Caja Magica.
It’s another milestone in an era of milestones for the Italian, who won his first title and moved up to No. 2 on the career ladder this season. No Italian had won a major title since 1976, and no one from his country had ever been ranked as high.
Sinner improves to 28-2 on the year, and will face either Casper Ruud or Felix Auger-Aliassime in Thursday’s semifinals.
A day off will be appreciated, as Sinner is dealing with a groin problem that has delayed Madrid. The 22-year-old says he feels fine, but admits he’s not at 100 percent and plays through pain in some situations.
“When I look back, I played a lot of games and I don’t have much time to rest, so this is possible,” said Sinner, according to the ATP. “In my mind I know this. If it was worse than yesterday, I would have thought about it [whether or not to play] today, but if I have the opportunity to face situations at the beginning of my career, I want to try it.”
Soni says he hopes that the day off will help the issue resolve itself.
“I’m definitely not 100 percent today,” he said. “Tomorrow I have a day of rest that will help me continue. I knew that if I won today, I would have to recover tomorrow, hopefully in the next game, which I have to do because the game is difficult. I’m happy to be in the quarters here.”
With Tuesday’s win, Sinner became the only player to reach at least the quarterfinals in all four Masters 1000 events this year. He won the Miami title and played in the semifinals at Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo.
The World No.2 improved to 6-2 lifetime in Madrid and will enter the quarterfinals with an 8-3 record in his last eight appearances at the Masters 1000s.
