When Jannik Sinner plays in Rome: his record with Rublev and where to see it on TV (including free to air)
Jannik Sinner will return to the court at the Internazionali d’Italia 2026 in the quarterfinals, opposing Russian Andrej Rublev. The big match will take place on Thursday, May 14, at the Foro Italico’s Central Court and will begin no earlier than 1 p.m. The South Tyrolean comes to it after eliminating in previous matches played in Rome the likes of Ofner, Popyrin and then Andrea Pellegrino in an all-Italian derby. He will face an opponent with whom in direct clashes he holds a 7-3 advantage and who in turn has so far gotten the better of Kecmanovic, Davidovich Fokina and Basilashvili. The match will be offered live on ‘Sky Sports’ channels, and also streamed on the SkyGo app and on NOW. It is also possible to watch the big event on TV8, and thus on a free-to-air TV channel.
The stakes on Thursday go far beyond just getting into the semifinals. With the victory over Pellegrino, Sinner reached 31 consecutive wins in Masters 1000 tournaments, equaling the all-time record that belonged to Novak Djokovic. A win against Rublev would thus mean permanently surpassing Djokovic’s own record, writing yet another page of world tennis history. Accompanying this impressive streak are other jaw-dropping numbers: 62 sets won and only two lost, a record of 58 wins to 0 in matches against tennis players outside the Top 50, and a perfect 19 out of 19 in Italian derbies.
Then there is another historic milestone hovering over the Foro Italico: the last Italian to win the Internazionali d’Italia was Adriano Panatta in 1976, when he overcame Argentine Guillermo Vilas in the final. Asked precisely about the great former Italian, Sinner responded with his usual candor: “Have I seen pictures of 1976 or how Adriano Panatta played? On social you get points from long ago, but I never watched a Panatta match. Wooden racket? Someone gave me one once but I don’t know where it went….” Genuine words, however, that do not dent the awareness of a champion who knows very well how special it would be to win the title in the capital.
A testament to the superiority of the South Tyrolean at this moment are also the words of his latest opponent. Andrea Pellegrino, defeated 6-2 6-3 in the round of 16, effectively described what it means to face the world number one: “He takes your breath away at all points. He’s a hammer, he’s there, he doesn’t give you anything. Forehand, backhand, serve, response: he is impressive.” The Apulian player, who arrived in Rome from the qualifiers, identified the mentality as Sinner’s real asset: “A 24-year-old guy who has been winning for months without practically losing sets or matches … people maybe don’t realize how difficult it is to compete every day in tennis. He even in those moments always manages to bring out the best in himself.”
Sinner himself, in a press conference, explained how each match in Rome also represents a testing ground ahead of Roland Garros: “I try to add a lot of little things, like going to the net. Physically I’m pretty good. My team and I are going in the right direction.” The world number one also emphasized how the serve will be an increasingly decisive weapon in the tennis of the future, confirming the clear-sighted, projected vision that distinguishes his approach to the game.
