Jannik Sinner breezed into the last 16 of the Italian Open on Monday after swatting aside Alexei Popyrin in straight sets 6-2, 6-0 and continuing his bid for a first title in Rome.
The world number one easily won his 25th straight match, taking just over an hour to see off Australia's Popyrin and set up an Italian derby with Andrea Pellegrino in the next round.
Pellegrino, 29, who beat 20th seed Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (10/8), 6-1, is a qualifier ranked 155 in the world who before this week had never played in the main draw of a Masters 1000 tournament.
Sinner meanwhile is trying to extend his own record-breaking run of overall victories in the ATP's top-ranked events after having won his last five.
The 24-year-old joins Novak Djokovic as the only player to win a year's first 25 Master 1000 matches, with the Serbian tennis icon's record run stretching to 31 matches in 2011.
Popyrin was suffocated by Sinner and made 23 unforced errors on his way to a comprehensive defeat.
The world number 60 only got 48 percent of first serves into play and that allowed Sinner to break five times and close out a match which was barely a contest.
Should Sinner prevail at the Foro Italico he will be the first Italian to win there since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago, and would complete his collection of Master 1000 tournaments.
With great rival Carlos Alcaraz out injured and Novak Djokovic eliminated early, Sinner will be red-hot favourite as he builds towards completing the career Grand Slam at the French Open which starts next week.
Former Rome champion Daniil Medvedev gets his tournament underway against Pablo Llamas Ruiz after a second-round walkover gave the Russian seventh seed automatic passage into the third.
Coco Gauff survived a scare against Iva Jovic coming back from a match point to win 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 and reach the women's quarter-finals.
American star Gauff, who is reigning French Open champion and reached the final in Rome last year, won a draining match on windy centre court which took the best part of three hours.
The 22-year-old has struggled on clay this season, with a last-16 exit in the Madrid Open coming after a disappointing run to the quarter-finals in Stuttgart.
Gauff was so annoyed with herself shortly after saving a match point against the serve at 5-4 down in the second set that she smacked herself in the head.
But she recovered to eventually see off her fellow American and set up a clash with Mirra Andreeva in the last eight.
Naomi Osaka will face three-time Rome champion Iga Swiatek, who has not won a clay tournament since capturing the last of her four French Open titles in 2024.
Reaching the last eight would be the best result of a difficult season for Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, after being knocked out of Indian Wells and the Madrid Open in the last 16 by Aryna Sabalenka.
Earlier, Dino Prizmic followed up knocking out Novak Djokovic from the Italian Open by beating France's Ugo Humbert 6-1, 7-5 on Sunday to reach the last 16 in Rome.
Prizmic had to qualify for the main draw but the Croatian player looks like he could be a contender after another brilliant display of power and precision on clay.
The 20-year-old raced into a 5-0 lead in the first set, which he closed out in just 28 minutes against a shellshocked Humbert, who was seeded 31st.
Such was Prizmic's dominance in the first set that he could even afford to try a trick shot between his legs and give up a point in game six.
Humbert battled back in the second set but after he gave up his serve for the third time in game 11 Prizmic closed out on his second match point.
After his superb performance on the Pietrangeli court Prizmic will face 13th seed Karen Khachanov in the next round.
As it stands Prizmic will already be up 11 places to 68th come Monday week, just before the start of the French Open, after his best ever performance in a Master 1000 tournament.
Alexander Zverev kept up his bid for a third title at the Foro Italico with a straight-sets win over Alexander Blockx, 6-1, 6-4 on centre court where the threat of rain looms large.
Second seed Zverev, who was heavily beaten by Jannik Sinner in the Madrid final last weekend, will face Italy's Luciano Darderi, who beat Tommy Paul 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, in the fourth round.
Zverev barely had to get out of second gear against Blockx, who was beaten in the Madrid semis by Zverev.
The German, who won the men's singles title in the Italian capital in 2017 and 2024, is on the same side of the draw as Prizmic.
Home hope Lorenzo Musetti will face clay court specialist Casper Ruud in the last 16 after winning a tough match with Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (9/7), 6-4.
Musetti was in tears at the end of a clash which featured 81 unforced errors, and told Sky Sport that wasn't right physically without specifying what was wrong.
Naomi Osaka will face three-time Rome champion Iga Swiatek in the last 16 of the women's tournament after easily seeing off Diana Schnaider 6-1, 6-2.
The four-time Grand Slam winner beat her Russian opponent in just 54 minutes to equal her best result of a difficult season in which she was knocked out of Indian Wells and Madrid at the same stage by Aryna Sabalenka.
But with Sabalenka suffering a shock early elimination on Saturday, 15th seed Osaka could yet be a contender.
She will play Swiatek on Tuesday after the Pole swept aside Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1, 6-0 in just over an hour.
"For me those matches are the most fun. I'm excited at the thought," said Osaka of a clash with Swiatek.
Pole Swiatek suffered her earliest exit in five appearances in Madrid last month when she retired in the third round due to a viral illness.
She was knocked out at the same stage in Rome last year as defending champion and took nearly three hours to win her opening match against Caty McNally.
Swiatek, a six-time Grand Slam champion, has not won a clay tournament since capturing the last of her four French Open titles in 2024.
Agencies