By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Photo credit: Cincinnati Open Facebook
Cranking whiplash drives, Jannik Sinner plays his most explosive tennis inside the baseline.
Tennis, the world No. 1 was an unfamiliar outsider.
Repeatedly pushed outside the doubles alley chasing Adrian Mannarino’s tricky lefty serve, Sinner solved the dilemma with sharp serving and big-shot making.
The top-seeded Sinner slashed successive aces sealing a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Mannarino to advance to his fifth quarterfinal of the season at the Cincinnati Open.
A streaking Sinner scored his 24th straight hard-court win, his 21st win in a row over a Frenchman and his 10th consecutive victory overall.
How devastating is the reigning Australian Open and US Open champion on his favored hard courts?
Sinner is now 63-3 on hard courts since the start of the 2024 season when he won his maiden AO championship.
Next up for Sinner: a quarterfinal clash against either Felix Auger-Aliassime or another Frenchman, Benjamin Bonzi, and his 24th birthday approaching on Saturday.
Longest ATP hard court winning streaks since 2000:
Federer, 56, 2005-06
Federer, 35, 2006-07
Djokovic, 35, 2010-11
Djokovic, 29, 2019-20
Murray, 28, 2016-17
Djokovic, 26, 2013-14
Federer, 26, 2004-05
Nadal, 26, 2013-14@janniksin, 24, 2024-25 🙌#CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/lplidpSfK9— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) August 13, 2025
Playing his first tournament since he dethroned two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to make history as the first Italian to win Wimbledon, Sinner was tested at times today.
The flat-hitting Mannarino used the quick Cincinnati court—and the top seed’s scalding shots—against Sinner and both men endured a near two hour, 50-minute rain delay that came with the lefty leading 2-1 in the second set.
Though Sinner will be disappointed he didn’t serve out the match at 6-5, 30-love up, he shrugged that lapse off and surged through five of the last six points pounding down his 11th and 12th aces to close in one hour, 48 minutes. Sinner won 31 of 32 first-serve points and lost his lone first-serve point of the match when Mannarino mashed a crosscourt forehand return to break and force the tiebreaker.
The left-handed Frenchman flicked an ace to save break point and hold in the first game.
Two games later, Sinner banged out the break with a series of heavy drives.
Old-school Mannarino plays flat using a Babolat racquet strung so loosely he can sling-shot replies off the crackling pace of big hitters like the top seed.
Wearing no cap, no headband and no sweatbands on a sweltering Cincinnati afternoon, Mannarino slung successive aces that helped him hold for 4-5.
Serving for the set, Sinner over-ran a Mannarino shot and improvised a slick tweener to extend the point. Mannarino flick a drop shot that Sinner should have deposited for a winner but he spun a reply wide. Two points later, Sinner drew the error to close a one-set lead.
Sinner served just 44 percent but was a perfect 12 for 12 on first serve points in the 44-minute opener.
Sixty-three minutes into the match—about 2:55 Eastern time—a light rain increased suspending play with Sinner serving at 40-30, 1-2 in the second set.
Sinner spent the lengthy rain delay playing cards and trotting around the player gym to activate his legs.
When play resumed, Sinner quickly held to level 2-all. The pair traded love holds in the sixth and seventh games.
Mannarino, who hit 10 aces, repeatedly hit the slider serve wide to displace Sinner and often sent the top seed scurrying way outside the doubles alley to return on the ad side.
Sinner threw down his third love hold of the set to level after 10 games.
The 11th game was the longest of the match as Mannarino saved three break points, only to net two shots in a row as Sinner broke for 6-5.
Untouchable on serve, Sinner was two points from the quarters when he went up 30-love, but missed two forehands in a row. Credit Mannarino with an absurd sharp-angled backhand to open the court where he swooped in for a high forehand volley earning his first break point. Sinner challenged the Frenchman’s forehand return and Mannarino ripped a winner leaving Sinner sending a sarcastic thumbs-up to his box.
Getting right back to business, Sinner rolled through five of the final six points to close cracking aces.
