Sinner Shines In Rare Madrid Morning Victory, Jodar Next

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (photo: Mateo Villalba/MMO)

MADRID/WASHINGTON, April 28, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner showed why it doesn’t matter what time of day he takes court at the Mutua Madrid Open. There’s a pretty good chance that morning, afternoon or night, Sinner will find the will and a way to succeed.

With an uncharacteristic, 11 a.m. start time for his fourth-round match against 23rd-ranked Cameron Norrie on Tuesday, the World No. 1 made quick work of his British opponent and mastered his way to his 20th straight victory.

The top-seeded Sinner opened round of 16 play on Manolo Santana Stadium with a 6-2, 7-5 victory against No. 19 seed Norrie that was completed in an hour and 26 minutes. It was the 24-year-old Italian’s 20th-straight win this season – his 25th consecutive win in ATP Masters 1000 play – and it also equaled his best result in Madrid, a tournament he’s played in four times. Overall, Sinner has advanced to 22 ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinals.

“Quite unusual for me,” Sinner said during his on-court interview, addressing the early start time. “I don’t know the last time I played at 11, but for me it doesn’t matter what time. I try to do my best. … We try to adapt ourselves, our bodies and our minds. From my side, it was a good performance today.”

Sinner finished his fourth-round victory with 21 winners – including eight aces – and won 81 percent (25 of 31) of his first-serve points. He converted four of nine break-point opportunities and outpointed Norrie 64-50.

“We know each other quite well. We practiced a lot together in the past tournaments also, so we both kind of knew what to expect,” Sinner said. “I felt like I was serving quite well today in the important moments. 

“This surface, it’s very different to all the other surfaces, so it’s quite tough to get the right feedback. So sometimes you feel like you are not playing your best, but from the outside it seems that you are, and sometimes it is also the opposite. But I’m very happy to be here in the quarters again.”

In the quarterfinal round, Sinner will face 42nd-ranked Spanish wild card Rafael Jodar, who advanced to the biggest quarterfinal of his career – and third one this season – after defeating No. 66 Vit Kopriva of Czechia, 7-5, 6-0, in one hour and 18 minutes on Manolo Santana Stadium.

The 19-year-old Jodar from Madrid, the last remaining Spaniard in the men’s draw, won 70 percent (19 of 27) of his first-serve points and backed it with an 83-percent efficiency (19 of 23) in winning points on his second serve. He saved both break points he faced, converted four of seven break points against Kopriva and outpointed his opponent 66-42 to improve to 12-1 on clay this season.

“I am super happy with my level today and at this tournament,” Jodar said during his on-court interview afterward. “It is special to play at home, in front of many people that I know and have come to support. I am super happy to play another match tomorrow.”

With his victory over Kopriva, Jodar has become the sixth different teenager to reach an ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal this decade and the sixth different teenager in the Madrid men’s quarterfinals in event history. When Jodar was asked about facing Sinner in the quarterfinals, he didn’t miss a beat in giving a calm answer.

“It is another opportunity,” Jodar said. “I will have to recover well and prepare the match as best as possible, as it will be another tough match.”

Sinner was asked about playing Jodar in the Spaniard’s hometown tournament.

“It would be good if I face him before Rome and then Roland-Garros,” Sinner said. “Here are very unique conditions. He is from Madrid, so he is very used to these conditions here. … So very exciting, new player. Big, big talent. Let’s see what’s coming.”

Fils, Lehecka set quarerfinal showdown

No. 21 seed Arthur Fils of France and No. 11 seed Jiri Lehecka of Czechia won their respective fourth-round matches Wednesday afternoon, both on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium, to advance to face each other in the quarterfinal round. First, the 25th-ranked Fils won his eighth-straight match, a winning streak that began with his Barcelona title run last week, with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 25 seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina in 90 minutes.

Fils has advanced to his sixth career ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal – the third one this season following Indian Wells and Miami – and has now reached the quarterfinals at six of the seven events he’s entered in 2026. He’s the first French quarterfinals in Madrid since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2013.

The 21-year-old French star finished with 25 winners, saved all five break points he faced and outpointed Etcheverry 63-52 en route to his 21st victory of the 2026 season.

Later, the 14th-ranked Lehecka needed just 74 minutes to eliminated World No. 9 and sixth-seeded Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, 6-3, 6-3, to reach his second Madrid Open quarterfinal in the last three years. He hit 22 winners, won 82 percent (28 of 34) of his first-serve point, saved all four break points he faced and converted three of four break-point chances. Lehecka outpointed Musetti 63-42 to reach his fourth ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal – and second one of the season after Miami.

After rallying to beat Alejandro Tabilo of Chile in his opening-round match, Lehecka has put together back-to-back straight-set victories over Alex Michelsen of the United States and Musetti. It was the Czech No. 1’s third win over the Musetti and avenged a second-round loss to the Italian No. 2 at Monte-Carlo earlier this month.

“If you’re playing a player like Lorenzo on clay, especially on clay, you need to bring everything that you have – and I was very happy with the overall performance today,” Lehecka said during his on-court interview. “Not only with the forehand, which was working quite well, but also, I was doing many things with my backhand. It was very solid. I was serving well, returning well in the crucial moments. This is something you need to come here with if you want to have a result like this against Lorenzo.”

Around the Caja Magica

• Defending champion Casper Ruud went the distance – lasting nearly three hours on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium – to reach the quarterfinals of this year’s Madrid Open. Ruud’s title defense is still alive and his Madrid winning streak has reached nine going back to last year’s title run.

The No. 12 seed from Norway overcame a couple of match points, serving at 3-5 in the final set, and was just a little bit better in the decisive tie-break than his opponent, No. 80 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. By the end of the two-hour, 57-minute skirmish, Ruud had come out on top with a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (3) victory, his 12th win of the season. It was Ruud’s fourth victory in six meetings against Tsitsipas.

“I was on the brink of being on the way home already,” Ruud said during his on-court interview following his victory over Tsitsipas. “Just really happy and proud of the way I fought back.

“The first two sets were really close. In the third set, I felt like I had a better beginning.”

Ruud struck 37 winners – eight of them for aces – and won 82 percent (61 of 74) first-serve points. He saved four of five break points and converted one of 12 break-point chances against Tsitsipas. Ruud outpointed Tsitsipas 132-114.

Next, Ruud will face No. 69 Alexander Blockx of Belgium, who upset World No. 20 and 16th seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina, 7-6 (8), 6-2, in one hour and 39 minutes on Arantxa Sanchez Stadium for his second-straight Top-20 triumph after eliminating World No. 5 and third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday.

Blockx has become the youngest Belgian ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinalist in series history after turning 21 on April 8. He came into his match against Cerundolo ranked No. 53 on PIF ATP Live Rankings. Now, he’s up to No. 46 by becoming the second Belgian men’s quarterfinalist in Madrid after David Goffin in 2017.

By the conclusion, Blockx finished with 15 winners, won 81 percent (38 of 47) of his first-serve points, saved all eight break points he faced and outpointed Cerundolo 81-71.

• In doubles, No. 5 seeds Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mate Pavic of Croatia advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan and Marc Polmans of Australia, in 63 minutes on Stadium 3. Last year’s finalists outpointed their opponents 62-47. 

Later, No. 3 seeds Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Henry Patten of Great Britain fought past French duo Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti, 2-6, 7-6 (8), 10-8, in one hour and 33 minutes on Stadium 3 to earn a place among the final eight teams. 

Tuesday’s Madrid Open results

Wednesday’s Madrid Open order of play

By the numbers

With his fourth-round victory over Cameron Norrie, Jannik Sinner became the second man in series history to win his first 20 ATP Masters 1000 matches of the season, joining Novak Djokovic in 2011 and 2015.

“Quotable …”

“It’s good but at the same time you don’t think [about the streak]. You have one opponent every day and you just try to have the better day than your opponent. … I’m not thinking, I’m trying to put myself in the best possible position to win as many matches as possible – and that’s it. Of course, every day, mentally, you need to be ready for a tough battle, a tough fight. That’s what I’m trying to.”

– World No. 1 and top seed Jannik Sinner of Italy, during his post-match news conference after defeating No. 19 seed Cameron Norrie of Great Britain. Sinner was asked to comment about his 20th-consecutive win this season. 

 

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