Match Report
Sinner shakes off Moller to book Madrid R4 spot
Italian has now won 24 consecutive matches at ATP Masters 1000 level
April 26, 2026
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner in third-round action against Elmer Moller on Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open.
By Andy West
Jannik Sinner came up against an unfamiliar opponent in Elmer Moller on Sunday at the Mutua Madrid Open, but there was little unusual about the way the Italian marched to a 6-2, 6-3 third-round victory at the clay ATP Masters 1000 event.
The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings proved too consistent and clinical for the No. 169-ranked Dane Moller, who was facing a Top-10 player for the first time. Sinner powered his way to a one-hour, 17-minute third-round triumph inside Manolo Santana Stadium to extend his Masters 1000 winning streak to 24 matches, the fourth longest in series history (since 1990).
Taking care of business 👍@janniksin defeats Moller to continue his quest in Madrid.@MutuaMadridOpen | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/fmda700TTP
— ATP Tour (@atptour) April 26, 2026
Now 26-2 for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Sinner is just four wins away from becoming the first player to win five consecutive Masters 1000 crowns. The 24-year-old, who is looking to back up his recent titles in Paris (last November), Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo, will take on 19th seed Cameron Norrie or Thiago Agustin Tirante for a quarter-final spot in Madrid.
“I tried to stay calm and serve well in important moments,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “I think that was the key today. There was not a lot of rhythm, so I tried to stay quite compact. Let’s see what’s coming in the next round.”
Sinner made a rapid start to his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with the 22-year-old Moller. The Italian reeled off four consecutive games from 1-1 in the opening set and, although Moller inflicted a rare break of serve on Sinner in the seventh game, the World No. 1 earned a third break of his own to take the set.
Moller had taken a medical timeout at 2-5, when he received treatment on his abdominal area from the tournament physio, but the Dane continued to compete admirably into the second half of the match. Moller particularly found rhythm on his backhand, his standout shot with which he has soared towards the World’s Top 100, in the second set.
That was not enough to deny Sinner a straight-sets victory, however. Moller delivered costly back-to-back double faults from deuce at 2-3 to hand the World No. 1 a decisive break, and Sinner made no mistake from there in wrapping a win in which he converted four of nine break points he earned.
