Jannik Sinner dismantles Auger-Aliassime in Cincinnati for 25th straight hard-court win

Auger-Aliassime was being hailed as one of the rising stars of the men's game when he broke through in 2021, but the gulf in class between the best player in the world and the Canadian was there for all to see in Cincinnati.

"I felt that I was returning very well today," said Sinner. "I think that was the key point, which gave me the confidence to serve well. I had a small drop in the second set when he broke me. It could have been a small change but I am happy I broke him back quite early.

"He is a very difficult opponent because he serves well, he moves well. Physically in incredible shape and hits the forehand very well. But we prepared in the best way, also tactically and I felt like today I was playing some great tennis."

With such a crushing scoreline recorded by Sinner, it is no surprise that the statistics in the match were one-sided.

He won 18 of the 23 points played when he landed his first serve (78%) and an impressive 10 of the 16 second serve points he delivered.

Sinner's suggestion that he was serving well was backed up by statistics that showed he won a thumping 29 of the 45 points he faced against the powerful Auger-Aliassime serve.

This was a mis-match that would have been stopped earlier if it was in the sport of boxing, with Sinner's complete dominance of Auger-Aliassime all the more impressive as this was the first time he had beaten the Canadian in three meetings.

Auger-Aliassime won their previous two matches in 2022, but this turbo-charged version of Sinner is a very different beast.

"Today I felt great on court," stated Sinner. "I think you saw that but every day is going to be different. Tomorrow is a day off, which is good for me. We will try and put some reps in and then see what I can do in the semis."

This was also Sinner's 25th straight win on a hard court, as he became only the fifth man this century to record 25 consecutive victories on the surface.

He joins an elite list that includes Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, with this run stretching over the ATP Finals and the Australian Open.

His record may be even more impressive if he had not missed the Indian Wells and Miami Masters in March, as he was serving a three-month ban for a failed drug test.

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz through to Cincinnati Masters quarters in straight sets