World No 1 Jannik Sinner recorded a routine 6-2 7-5 victory over British No 1 Cam Norrie to reach the Mutua Madrid Open quarter-finals.
Sinner won a sloppy 35-minute first set in which both players had more unforced errors than winners, breaking Norrie twice to put one foot in the next round.
The second set was a different story for the Brit, though, breaking back and holding serve against the Italian to take a 4-3 lead, but Sinner’s quality eventually told, producing a crucial break at 5-5 and holding serve to take the match and secure an impressive round of 16 victory.
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Highlights from the Round of 32 match between Jannik Sinner and Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open
The Wimbledon champion will face the winner of the round of 16 tie between the Czech Vit Kiprova and 19-year-old Madrid native Rafael Jodar in a bid to secure his first Madrid Open title and his ninth at ATP 1000 level.
It’s not all bad news for Norrie, though, as he moves back into the world top 20 since 2024.
Norrie is back into the top 20 despite his defeat
“We both knew what to expect [from each other]. I felt like I was serving quite well today through a lot of moments,” Sinner said on Sky Sports after the game.
“This surface is very different to other surfaces. It’s tough to get the right feedback – sometimes from the outside it looks like you’re playing your best, but other times it doesn’t feel like you are.
“But I’m happy to be into the quarter-finals – it’s a tournament I haven’t played a lot, so I’m really happy.”
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