Jannik Sinner Makes History as Italy’s First World No. 1 – Highlights, Ranking Shake-Up & What’s Next

Italian world No. 1 Jannik Sinner has delivered another statement win at Roland Garros, dismantling Czech contender Jiri Lehecka 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 to surge into the fourth round of the 2025 French Open and keep his quest for a maiden clay-court major firmly on track. Dominant from the opening game, the 23-year-old fired 32 winners to just eight unforced errors, converting six of eight break points and never allowing Lehecka to hold serve until late in the second set. The one-hour, 47-minute rout extends Sinner’s match-win streak to 13 and underscores why many analysts now consider him the “player to beat” in Paris. Next up for Sinner is a blockbuster Round-of-16 clash with 17th seed Andrey Rublev. The pair’s head-to-head stands at 4-2 in Sinner’s favor, including a straight-sets victory in Monte Carlo earlier this spring. Victory on Monday would send the Italian into his third consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final and tighten his grip on the ATP rankings pinnacle he seized after winning this year’s Australian Open. Key factors behind Sinner’s surge • Ruthless return game: Sinner is winning 46 % of return points this fortnight, tops among remaining men’s singles players. • Clay-court confidence: After titles in Barcelona and Rome, he owns a tour-best 18-1 record on clay in 2025. • Physical edge: An off-season emphasis on endurance has cut his average five-set completion time by nearly 30 minutes compared with last year. Locker-room buzz Rising Brit Jack Draper believes the gap to Sinner and fellow young star Carlos Alcaraz is “only one or two years” but concedes that the Italian’s shot tolerance is “next-level right now”. Veteran Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, noted that Sinner’s improved serve placement “gives him free points that weren’t there in 2023,” a critical advantage on the slower Parisian clay. What it means for the title race With Alcaraz nursing a right forearm concern and two-time champion Djokovic taken to four sets twice already, oddsmakers have installed Sinner as the new favorite. Should he lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires on 8 June, he would become the first Italian man ever to complete the Australian-French double in the same season and only the second Italian champion in Paris after Adriano Panatta in 1976. How to watch Monday’s Sinner-Rublev showdown is slated for Court Philippe-Chatrier not before 2:15 p.m. ET, airing on TNT, truTV and streaming live on Max for U.S. audiences. European viewers can tune in via Eurosport, Sky Sports Tennis, or the official Roland Garros digital platforms. SEO takeaway Fans searching for “Jannik Sinner French Open 2025,” “Sinner vs Rublev live,” and “Roland Garros fourth round schedule” will find the Italian front and center—exactly where his tennis is placing him as the second week in Paris begins.