By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, April 26, 2026
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open Facebook
Disciplined fitness devotee Jannik Sinner injected his stretching routine onto Manolo Santana Stadium.
A surging Sinner dismissed qualifier Elmer Moller 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Madrid round of 16, extend his 2206 winning streak to 19 matches and expand his ATP Masters 1000 winning streak to 24 matches.
Empowered by completing the Sunshine Double without dropping a set, Sinner has now won 48 of his last 50 sets in ATP Masters 1000 action.
Continuing his chase of history, Sinner is playing to become the first man to capture five consecutive Masters 1000 championships following his title run at the Rolex Paris Masters last fall followed by powerful performances collecting championships at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo.
Today, Sinner pumped seven aces, pounded the Danish qualifier’s weaker forehand wing and permitted just 10 points on his first serve.
Reigning Wimbledon champion Sinner improved to 26-2 on the season with his last loss coming to Jakub Mensik in the Doha quarterfinals.
Sinner aims to stretch this streak when he faces either 19th-seeded Briton Cameron Norrie or 75th-ranked Argentinean Thiago Agustin Tirante for a quarterfinal spot.
The question is: Can Sinner capture his maiden Madrid championship and, in the absence of injured Rome and Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz, potentially run the clay-court table taking titles before home fans in Rome then winning a first French Open?
First, Sinner is intent on mastering Madrid.
World No. 169 Moller is a uniquely dangerous player in that his two-handed backhand is bigger and better than his topspin forehand.
Frequently stepping around his forehand to blast backhands, Moller’s backhand speed in this match exceeded the forehand speed many men have produced in this tournament.
The 22-year-old Dane’s forehand requires some assembly. It’s a more elaborate stroke he sometimes stiff arms from an open stance. It didn’t take Sinner too long to target and torment the Moller forehand.
Sinner slid an open-stance backhand strike down the line then torched a forehand down the opposite sideline holding for 4-1.
Serving for a one-set lead at 5-1, Sinner delivered the rare self-break. The top seed double faulted then dumped a drop shot into net handing Moller the break in the seventh game.
Moller took a timeout for treatment of an apparent abdominal issue.
Play resumed after about a five-minute delay. Moller saved a couple of set points, including stinging an ace to save the second set point, but double faulted into the net to face set point No. 3.
In a bizarre ending to the 40-minute opener, Moller’s Head racquet went flying out of his hand after a second serve leaving him disarmed. He slapped at Sinner’s return with his bare hand, but the set was over.
Sinner was staring down a 15-30 deficit in the fifth game of the second set when he went to work excavating errors from the Dane’s unruly forehand wing. Sinner pumped an ace then drew a netted drive holding for 3-2 after one hour.
Moller double faulted twice in succession ceding the break and 4-2 lead to Sinner.
Scalding his seventh ace down the T, Sinner lengthened his lead to 5-2.
On his first match point, Sinner again challenged the Moller forehand. The Dane ballooned a forehand long as Sinner sealed a 77-minute victory.