Sinner crushes Rublev to reach Roland Garros last eight
Russian 17th seed Rublev appeared to pose a tricky test on paper for Sinner, but the world number one instead cantered to a 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 win in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier.
"Things can go very quickly in a bad way, especially best of five, it can go very long," said Sinner.
"I'm very happy to finish it in three. These night sessions in Paris are very special."
The Italian, who returned from a three-month doping ban in May in Rome, will next face unseeded Kazakh Alexander Bublik in the quarter-finals.
Sinner holds a 3-1 winning record against Bublik in their head-to-head, but did lose their last meeting in 2023 on grass in Halle.
He is aiming for a third consecutive Grand Slam title in Paris after winning last year's US Open and taking his second successive Australian Open crown in January.
Sinner gained a measure of revenge on Rublev for a last-16 defeat at Roland Garros in 2022, when he had to retire injured in the third set.
He was in clinical form on Monday, firing five aces and 25 winners past a bewildered opponent.
"Inside there's a storm going on but tennis is a very mental game and you don't want to show anything to your opponent," Sinner said of his calm on-court demeanour.
"In my young career, the storm was also outside not only inside."
The 23-year-old, who lost to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 semi-finals, saved two break points in the opening game of the match.
But it was all one-way traffic from there as he powered into a 5-0 lead and clinched the opener despite missing one set point for a first-set bagel.
Sinner broke for a 2-1 lead and wrapped up the second set when Rublev dropped serve again.
With the crowd firmly behind him, 10-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist Rublev upped his level in the third set.
But his only break point since the very first game came and went as Sinner remained rock solid on serve, before the top seed took his first match point when a Rublev forehand clipped the net and spun wide.
© 2025 AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Top seed Sinner outclasses Bublik to reach French Open semis
The world number one cruised through his quarter-final match 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 in one hour and 49 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier, and is still yet to drop a set at the French Open this year. The 23-year-old will next face either 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic or third seed Alexander Zverev for a place in Sunday's final. "I just tried to stay focused on my side of the court, so tried to stay as solid as possible because he (Bublik) can have ups and downs," said Sinner. "It was a good performance from my side... against these kind of players you have to be very consistent. "I'm very happy with how I've arrived in the semi-finals, semi-finals in Grand Slams are very special." World number two Carlos Alcaraz said his last-eight dismantling of Tommy Paul on Tuesday was in part "inspired" by Sinner and his time-sensitive approach to tennis over the last fortnight. Sinner has spent less than 10 hours on court through his first five matches as he has systematically taken apart his opponents for the loss of very few games. "He (Sinner) inspired me in some ways just to give my 100 percent every match and I see how important it is just to play such a great level in the whole match, just to have more time then to recover after the match," Alcaraz told reporters after his 94-minute win. And the Italian showed centre court just what his rival meant by wrapping up the first set in just over half-an-hour. Bublik, ranked 62, managed to get a foothold in the second set as he matched Sinner game for game through the majority of the frame, but never managed to force a break point and really put pressure on the Italian. Bublik then presented Sinner with his chance to secure a 2-0 lead with a double-fault when serving at 30-40 in the 11th game. Not known for his propensity to look a gift horse in the mouth, Sinner closed out the second set by holding the next game to love. He started the third by making it back-to-back breaks on Bublik's serve, before racing through the rest of the set and clinching the match at the first time of asking with a cross-court forehand. Sinner now leads Bublik 4-1 in their match-ups, with his only defeat coming when he was forced to retire injured when trailing the 27-year-old at Halle two years ago.
LeMonde
3 hours ago
- LeMonde
French Open: Loïs Boisson shocks world No. 6 Mirra Andreeva to advance to semi-final
France's Loïs Boisson, ranked world number 361, continued her dream run at the French Open on Wednesday, June 4. She defeated Russian player Mirra Andreeva, world number six, to advance to the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Boisson won a thrilling battle 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 in just over two hours against Andreeva in front of an ecstatic home crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier. She will face US world number two Coco Gauff for a place in the final. Andreeva repeatedly showed her frustration with the crowd, as excited fans chanted "Loïs, Loïs" between points, waved French flags, shouted during play and even applauded the Russian teenager's errors. The French 22-year-old had already eliminated US third seed Jessica Pegula on the red clay of Paris with the wildcard entry extending her run against last year's semi-finalist Andreeva. "It was incredible to play in front of this crowd and to feel support like that. It was amazing, thank you," said Boisson, playing in her first Grand Slam. "My routine won't change, it's been the same since the start of the tournament," she added of her preparation for the semi-finals. Her next challenger, Gauff, battled back from a set down to beat Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-7 (6/8), 6-4, 6-1. Boisson became the first woman to reach the semifinals at her debut Grand Slam tournament since 1989, when Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati both did it at the French Open. She is also the youngest French semifinalist at a Grand Slam event since Amélie Mauresmo at Wimbledon in 1999.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
French Open: Lois Boisson stuns sixth-ranked Mirra Andreeva to reach semis
French wild-card entry Lois Boisson upset sixth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 7-6 (6), 6-3 Wednesday in front of a boisterous and largely partisan crowd at Roland-Garros to reach the semifinals of the French Open. Andreeva repeatedly showed her frustration with the crowd, as excited fans chanted 'Lois, Lois' between points, waved Tricolor flags, shouted during play, and even applauded the Russian teenager's errors. The 22-year-old Boisson became the first woman to reach the semifinals at her debut Grand Slam tournament since 1989, when Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati both did it at the French Open. She is also the youngest French semifinalist at a Grand Slam event since Amelie Mauresmo at Wimbledon in 1999. The first set was marked by momentum swings and brilliant shot-making from both players. Boisson twice found herself down a break but fought back each time, using heavy spin and deep groundstrokes to trouble her Russian opponent. Andreeva grew visibly tense on key points, struggling to maintain her composure and wasting a chance to close out the set when up 5-3. Despite saving three set points and forcing a tiebreaker, she ultimately handed the set to Boisson with two consecutive backhand errors. Andreeva responded strongly at the start of the second set, racing to a 3-0 lead. But Boisson broke back with a thunderous backhand winner down the line, drawing a roar of approval from the lively crowd. Andreeva received a warning after netting a routine forehand volley and angrily hitting a ball into the stands. She then argued with the umpire over a call that gave Boisson a break point. On the very next point, Andreeva double-faulted and never recovered.
