Sinner sets up Mensik quarterfinal after milestone win over Popyrin
Jannik Sinner reached his first Qatar ExxonMobil Open quarterfinal with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Alexei Popyrin on Wednesday.
Jannik Sinner, Doha 2026 | © Qatar Exxson Mobil Open
Jannik Sinner reached his first Qatar ExxonMobil Open quarterfinal with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Alexei Popyrin on Wednesday evening, marking his 50th consecutive win against opponents ranked outside the world’s top 50.
The world No 2 and second seed extended his remarkable consistency on hard courts, having now reached the quarterfinals or better in 19 of his last 20 tournaments on the surface. Facing the 53rd-ranked Popyrin at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, the 24-year-old Italian produced a dominant serving performance in the opening set, breaking the Australian once to lead after 30 minutes., at 3-2
Sinner did not face a single break point during the 84-minute encounter, winning 12 straight ATP 500 matches in the process.
Sinner : “You have to find different ways to win matches”
Despite Popyrin raising his level in the second set to keep the score level at 5-5, Sinner secured the decisive break in the eleventh game. This victory improves Sinner’s recent record to 22 wins in his last 23 matches, a streak dating back to his title run at the 2024 ATP Finals. The Italian has now reached the final eight in 28 of his last 30 tournament appearances.
“I felt like I started off very well in the first set. Not so many problems with my service games, he said. Then after I struggled a little bit. I felt like he raised his level. I missed a couple of quite easy shots. But this can happen. I lost the rhythm a bit and the confidence. I just tried to dig deep. Especially at 5 all. He made a couple mistakes, which helped me get the decisive break. But still I’m very happy. You have to find different ways to win matches. Obviously now we have to aim to raise our level.”
Sinner will next face 20-year-old Czech sensation Jakub Mensik, who defeated Zhizhen Zhang 6-3, 6-2 to advance.
