Jannik Sinner has made a flawless return to the ATP Tour, notching his second straight-sets victory at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome. The World No. 1 defeated Dutch lucky loser Jesper de Jong 6-4, 6-2 on Monday, following his opening-round triumph over Mariano Navone.
Playing in front of an electric home crowd at Campo Centrale, Sinner showed little rust despite being sidelined for over three months. Although he briefly surrendered a break lead in the opening set, the Italian quickly recalibrated, breaking again at 4-4 before closing out the set.
The second set saw Sinner step up his level, but the match took a worrying turn when De Jong slipped and appeared to injure his right wrist while serving at 1-3, 40/15. Sinner immediately came to his opponent’s aid, helping him up and handing him a towel—a gesture warmly received by fans.
Despite receiving medical attention and having his wrist heavily strapped, De Jong was clearly hindered and frequently shook out his arm between points. Sinner remained focused, sealing the match in one hour and 35 minutes.
“It was a completely different match from the first one, with different conditions,” Sinner reflected. “I started well, had a little dip, but managed to regroup. I hope Jesper’s injury isn’t serious—he’s not just a great player but a great person.”
Sinner’s latest win extends his unbeaten run to 23 matches and his record to 61-0 against players ranked outside the Top 20 since the 2023 US Open.
Now into the fourth round in Rome for the fourth time, Sinner will next face Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo, who defeated Sebastian Ofner 6-2, 6-4. The head-to-head between Sinner and Cerúndolo is level at 2-2, with Cerúndolo winning their previous Rome encounter in 2023.
With the home crowd firmly behind him and his form intact, Sinner looks every bit the title contender in Rome.
