Red-hot Jannik Sinner routs Alexei Popyrin in Rome

Top-seeded Jannik Sinner continued his torrid season Monday by cruising to a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Alexei Popyrin of Australia to advance to the round of 16 in the Italian Open at Rome.

Sinner posted a 20-7 edge in winners while joining Novak Djokovic as the only men to win their first 25 ATP Masters 1000 matches of the season. Sinner has won 30 overall, tied for second with Djokovic (2014-15). The Serbian also holds the record of 31 straight, set in 2011.

Sinner wasn't threatened while winning in 67 minutes. The Italian had a 5-0 edge in aces while Popyrin committed three double faults to go with a saggy 48% accuracy on first serves.

"It was a very good performance," Sinner said. "He is a big server and his percentage was not very high, which helped me a little bit. But I have been returning the second serves very well and I am happy to be in the next round."

Sinner committed just 12 errors -- only one off his backhand -- while sailing through the match.

"On the conditions, I feel like the wind was one way," Sinner said. "I didn't have to change a lot, but in the same time, when you play with wind, you try to move the ball a bit more around. When you are against the wind, I try to go quite flat."

Sinner will next play another Italian in qualifier Andrea Pellegrino, who upset 20th-seeded American Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (8), 6-1. Pellegrino is ranked 155th in the world.

Pellegrino won 30 of 41 first-serve points (73.2%) while continuing his run. This is the first main-draw Masters 1000 tourney for the 29-year-old.

"It is amazing," Pellegrino said. "When I came here at the beginning of the tournament, I didn't expect to have this kind of result. I am very happy with my game. I have played five matches and it is a really good level. I am so happy."

Now Pellegrino faces a real challenge against Sinner. The only time the two Italians faced each other was in an ITF event in 2019 when the then-17-year-old Sinner rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory.

"It will be a really good experience for me," Pellegrino said. "Maybe we will play on Center (Court), where I have never played."

Two other Italians lost on Monday. Argentina's Thiago Agustin Tirante stunned No. 10 Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 6-4, and Spanish lucky loser Martin Landaluce defeated Mattia Bellucci 6-4, 6-3.

Russian Daniil Medvedev, the No. 7 seed, rallied for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over qualifier Pablo Llamas Ruiz of Spain, while No. 12 Russian Andrey Rublev notched a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili registered a 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over No. 30 Brandon Nakashima of the United States, while Serbia's Hamad Medjedovic outlasted Argentina's Mariano Navone 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

--Field Level Media