Iga Swiatek returned to top form by dismissing Naomi Osaka in straight sets at the Italian Open, while Jannik Sinner moved one step closer to becoming only the second player ever to achieve the career Golden Masters.
Swiatek secured her spot in the quarter-finals with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over Osaka on Monday. The world No. 3 dismantled the four-time Grand Slam champion in just one hour and 22 minutes, taking another stride toward her third WTA 1000 title in Rome.
Osaka fought back after being broken in the opening game, saving two break points before Swiatek fired a sharp cross-court groundstroke to take a 1-0 lead. The 28-year-old rebounded to level the first set at 2-2. But Swiatek, who had not won on clay since her 2024 French Open triumph before this tournament, appeared to regain her best rhythm, winning the next four games to claim the set.
The Polish star, who had not advanced past the quarter-finals in any tournament this year, kept the pressure on by taking the first two games of the second set. She closed out the set and the match with consecutive breaks, setting up a quarter-final clash against fifth seed Jessica Pegula.
Swiatek has won the Italian Open in 2020, 2021, and 2024, but has not captured a WTA 1000 title since the Cincinnati Open in August 2025. Her resurgence may be linked to her new coach, Francisco Roig, who previously worked with Rafael Nadal, Matteo Berrettini, and Emma Raducanu. She parted ways with Wim Fissette and hired Roig in April after a second-round exit at the Australian Open.
Meanwhile, Jannik Sinner claimed his 30th consecutive Masters 1000 win at the Italian Open on Monday, moving closer to becoming only the second male player in history—after Novak Djokovic—to achieve the career Golden Masters. The four-time Grand Slam champion dominated Alexei Popyrin 6-2, 6-0 in front of his home fans in Rome.
The 24-year-old advances to the round of 16, where he will face fellow Italian Andrea Pellegrino, who advanced after outlasting 20th seed Frances Tiafoe. Sinner has been unstoppable on the ATP Tour, winning all five of the last ATP 1000 Masters events and not losing a match since the Shanghai Masters in October.
Last month, he defeated Alexander Zverev in the Madrid Open final and now has the chance to finally claim the Italian Open, the only ATP 1000 event he has not won.
“It’s been a very special tournament for me, starting with a wildcard back in the day,” Sinner said. “Every year when you come here, you reflect a little bit. I’m very happy to be here. Let’s see what’s coming in the next round.”
Should Sinner advance to the quarter-finals, he will face either Andrey Rublev or Nikoloz Basil.