Steely Sinner shakes off Khachanov for Madrid QF spot

After making a blazing start to the Mutua Madrid Open, Jannik Sinner passed the first big test of his campaign at the ATP Masters 1000 event on Tuesday afternoon.

The top-seeded Italian overcame Karen Khachanov 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in the Spanish capital. Sinner reacted well to dropping his first set of the tournament in a big-hitting clash with the 16th seed Khachanov on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, where he saved both break points he faced in the deciding set en route to a two-hour, 10-minute triumph.

“I think today was really tough, because at some points he served really well, so it was tough to return,” said Sinner. “I made a couple of mistakes in the first set when he broke me, but this can happen. In the second set I tried to stay focused immediately, I broke him, and the confidence level raised a bit.

“I was struggling when I was break points down in the early stages of the third set. I went through them, serving really well. Then after I felt a little bit better so I’m really happy and let’s see what’s coming in the next round.”

5-7 6-3 6-3 🔥@janniksin becomes the only player to reach the quarter-finals at all 4 ATP Masters 1000 events this season!@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/yJBbAlEeA6

— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 30, 2024

Sinner struggled with hip discomfort during his third-round win against Pavel Kotov, and the Italian was not fully recovered against Khachanov. The No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings was nonetheless happy to pull through another match where he was not feeling in peak physical shape.

“If I look back I’ve played a lot of matches and not had much time off, so this can happen. In my mind I know this. If it would have been worse than yesterday, then I would have thought about [whether to play] today, but if I have a chance to get through situations early in my career, I want to give it a try.

“For sure I’m not physically at 100 per cent today. Tomorrow, I have a day off which can help me to get through. I knew that if I won today I would have tomorrow to recover hopefully for the next match, which I have to because it is a tough match. I’m happy to be in the quarters here.”

Sinner's path to victory was helped by a strong serving performance, and he was also clinical with his chances on return. Sinner converted all three break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats, as he extended his Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead over Khachanov to 4-1.

Now 28-2 for the season, Sinner will take on Felix Auger-Aliassime next at the Caja Magica, where he is chasing his third Masters 1000 crown. The 22-year-old is the only player to have reached the quarter-finals at the first four Masters 1000 events of 2024, and he is the first to achieve that feat since Milos Raonic in 2016.