Jannik Sinner laid down a marker at the Indian Wells Masters on Thursday, earning his 19th consecutive match wins to power into the quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-3 schooling of Czech Jiri Lehecka.
Italy’s Australian Open and Rotterdam winner held his unforced error court to 13 while his opponent struck 35 in defeat in a match played in a tricky wind.
“In the morning it was really windy and in the first set it was tough to handle the situation. He is an incredible player and has huge potential, so I was aware of every point that I made.
“I’m happy because I made the semis last year and now I have a chance to play in the semis again. I’m really happy and pleased.”
Sinner is within three wins of his third title this season and will be among those to beat in the Miami masters from next week after the pullout of Novak Djokovic.
If Sinner wins in Indian Wells on Sunday he would close to within 815 points of the Serb.
Lehecka was sent packing after defeating seeds Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
