ROME, May 13 (Xinhua) -- World No. 1 Jannik Sinner defeated fellow Italian Andrea Pellegrino in straight sets to reach the men's quarterfinals of the Italian Open on Tuesday, equaling Novak Djokovic's record of 31 consecutive ATP Masters 1000 wins.

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to Italy's Andrea Pellegrino, during their match at the Italian Open tennis tournament in Rome, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (File photo: AP)

Sinner applied relentless pressure from the baseline throughout the opening set, using his depth and consistency to force an early break before taking it 6-2.

Pellegrino raised his level in the second set, stepping inside the baseline more aggressively and pushing Sinner into a series of physical rallies. The early stages were tightly contested before Sinner capitalized on his opponent's errors to secure a decisive break in the seventh game. The top seed then closed out the match 6-3.

"I felt like today was a good match from both of us, also very physical," Sinner said, adding that he has been trying to add "small things" to his game.

With the victory, Sinner matched the 31-match ATP Masters 1000 winning streak Djokovic set in 2011. He also extended his overall tour-level winning streak to 26 matches, equaling the longest run of his career.

Elsewhere in the men's singles fourth round, Italy's 18th seed Luciano Darderi saved four match points in the second set in a 1-6, 7-6 (10), 6-0 comeback win over former champion and second seed Alexander Zverev. It marked Darderi's first top-10 victory and sent him into his first ATP Masters 1000 quarterfinal.

"The key was fighting for every point and pushing hard on his forehand," Darderi said after the match.

Also on Tuesday, women's third seed Coco Gauff came from a set down to defeat eighth seed Mirra Andreeva 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, while 26th seed Sorana Cirstea beat Jelena Ostapenko to advance to the semifinals, her best-ever result at the tournament.

On Wednesday, women's fourth seed Iga Swiatek will face fifth seed Jessica Pegula, while Wang Xinyu and Hsieh Su-wei play Andreeva and Diana Shnaider in the second round of the doubles event.