ROME: Jannik Sinner came through the first true test of his comeback from a doping ban with Tuesday’s straight-sets win over Francisco Cerundolo which took the world number one into the Italian Open quarter-finals. Italian Sinner bested 17th seed Cerundolo 7-6 (7/2), 6-3 in a match which was delayed by a couple of hours due to a torrential downpour to set up a last-eight clash with either Casper Ruud or Jaume Munar.

Cerundolo knocked out Sinner in the last 16 the last time he played here in 2023, but that was before the 23-year-old had became the tournament-winning machine he is today. Sinner is finding his feet in Rome, his first tournament since the end of a three-month suspension accepted in February from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) following two positive tests for traces of clostebol in March last year.

His true target is the French Open which follows his home event and he showed some signs of rediscovering the form which has won him three Grand Slams and last year’s ATP Finals. “I’ve gone through a lot mentally, and not only today, so it’s really important that I rest psychologically tomorrow, not think about tennis,” said Sinner.

“Let’s see how well I can manage all this, but I’m pleased.” Sinner had to battle through the first set against spirited Cerundolo but once he prevailed in the tie-break he built up an unassailable lead by winning four games in a row in the second. The packed centre court stands hailed their hero after he took the win at the fourth time of asking and continue his bid for a first Rome title.

Sinner said he will watch his team AC Milan take on Bologna on Wednesday at the Stadio Olimpico, which is a short walk from the Foro Italico tennis courts. By then he should know the identity of his quarter-final opponent after the Munar v Ruud encounter was held over due to the rain delay.

Musetti defies Medvedev, rain

The rain which delayed Sinner’s match had a much bigger impact on his compatriot Lorenzo Musetti, who reached the last eight after having to wait nearly three hours at match point before he could finish off his victory over Daniil Medvedev. World number nine Musetti will face either reigning Rome champion Alexander Zverev in the last eight after seeing off Medvedev 7-5, 6-4.

Musetti held his nerve to win on the first point after the long break and made sure that his first week in the top 10 of the world rankings would bring another solid run in a big tournament, after he reached the final in Monte Carlo and the last four in Madrid.

Organisers later said that Musetti would have to pull out of his doubles campaign alongside Lorenzo Sonego due to an injury to his right arm. Fellow Italian Jasmine Paolini was playing on centre court at the same time as the first part of Musetti’s match but managed to complete her comeback from a set down to beat Diana Shnaider 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 6-2 just before the worst of the weather hit.

Paolini is the first Italian woman to reach the Rome semi-finals since 2014, when her doubles partner Sara Errani got to the final only to be soundly beaten by Serena Williams. Approaching 0100 local time Peyton Stearns rounded out the delayed day’s play, edging Ukrainian 16th seed Elina Svitolina 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) to secure her place in the semi-finals.

Alcaraz through

Much earlier Carlos Alcaraz beat Karen Khachanov 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in a hugely entertaining opening match of the day on centre court. Third seed Alcaraz had never lost a set in his previous four meetings with Khachanov but was forced to fight to get past Russia’s Khachanov.

The Spaniard took his 12th clay-court win of the year to set up a clash in the last eight with fifth seed Jack Draper, a winner over France’s Corentin Moutet. “It was tiring. You know the match was really tough. I had to run. I had to run a lot,” said Alcaraz.

Earlier, men’s world number one tennis player, Jannik Sinner, offered to rally with Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday, after being received by the head of the Catholic Church at the Vatican. The 23-year-old Italian star only returned to the circuit last Saturday, at the Italian Open, after serving a three month doping ban.

Video released by the Vatican showed Sinner shaking the hand of the Chicago-born pope and presenting him with a racquet similar to his own. With a racquet in both men’s hands, Sinner then whipped out a ball. “Do you want to play a little bit?” asked Sinner, dressed in a black suit.

Both men laughed, peering up at the gold fabric covered walls around them. “We’d better leave it,” joked the pope. Sinner was accompanied by members of his family and the president of the Italian Tennis Federation, Angelo Binaghi, during the visit. He also showed the pope the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup trophies won by Italy in 2024.

The head of the Vatican’s press office earlier said that “the pope’s passion for tennis is well known”. The 69-year-old pontiff likes not just to watch but also to play, according to reports. In an interview after being made cardinal in 2023, the former missionary in Peru said: “I consider myself an amateur tennis player.

“Since I left Peru, I haven’t had many opportunities to play, but I can’t wait to get back on the court.” Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport said that according to his friends, the Augustinian “has an excellent backhand and is a formidable competitor”.

On Monday during an audience with the international press, the pope was asked by a journalist to take part in a charity tennis tournament. “Certainly,” replied the pope. “I’ll come with (Andre) Agassi,” he said. “As long as it’s not Sinner,” he joked.

At a tournament press conference Monday following Sinner’s third round victory over Dutchman Jesper de Jong, journalists asked Sinner what he thought about having a tennis-loving pope. “It’s great for tennis players to have a pope who follows us and who has played,” said Sinner. Among one of the Vatican’s many amenities is an outdoor clay tennis court. – AFP