Jannik Sinner’s historic 2026 season reached a new milestone on Tuesday as the Italian world number one secured his 31st consecutive victory in ATP Masters 1,000 matches. Competing in front of a home crowd at the Italian Open in Rome, Sinner dominated his compatriot Andrea Pellegrino with a convincing 6-2, 6-3 victory in the round of 16.
This latest win draws him level with Novak Djokovic’s all-time record of 31 straight wins at this elite level of competition, set by the Serbian in 2011.
The 24-year-old’s path through the 2026 calendar has been nothing short of legendary. Earlier this year, Sinner became the first player in tennis history to sweep the first four Masters 1,000 titles of the season.
Should he lift the trophy in Rome, he will remain on track to potentially match another Djokovic feat: winning all nine tournaments in the Masters 1,000 category. With only two losses across the entire season so far, Sinner has established a level of consistency that has left the rest of the tour scrambling for answers.
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As the tennis world looks toward Roland Garros in two weeks, Sinner has solidified his status as the undisputed favorite.
The French Open remains the only Grand Slam title missing from his trophy cabinet, and his chances have been further bolstered by the injury-forced absence of his primary rival, Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner now awaits the winner of the clash between Andrey Rublev and Nikoloz Basilashvili to see who will challenge him in the quarterfinals as he aims to break the record and claim sole possession of the longest winning streak in Masters history.
While Sinner’s dominance captured the headlines, the tournament in Rome also witnessed the rise of a new Spanish sensation. 19-year-old Rafael Jódar made history by becoming the youngest player to reach the Rome quarterfinals in 21 years after defeating American Learner Tien 6-1, 6-4. Jódar’s ascent has been meteoric; having started 2026 ranked 165th and sitting outside the top 600 just a year ago, the teenager is now projected to break into the world’s top 30.
His breakthrough performance confirms that while Sinner leads the pack, a new generation of talent is beginning to reshape the ATP hierarchy.
