first-round scare against Bonzi<\/a>, there were no such alarms. Sinner was clean, composed and relentless from the first game, extending his winning streak in Masters 1000 events to 24 matches and his overall run to 19 consecutive wins. He has now won 48 of his last 50 sets at this level \u2013 a rate that makes the outliers feel like anomalies.<\/p>\nA fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title would make him the first player to achieve that since 1990. In Madrid, where he has never gone beyond the quarter-finals, he is already moving with a different kind of purpose.<\/p>\n
Moller\u2019s racquet slipped from his hands<\/p>\n
Moller, 22 and ranked No 169, was a compelling figure in his own right. It was here in Madrid last year that he made his ATP Tour debut, losing to Jo\u00e3o Fonseca, and on Sunday he returned to find the world No 1 waiting on the other side of the net. He was aggressive early, his two-handed backhand causing Sinner genuine moments of discomfort in the opening games, and when his racquet slipped from his hand mid-rally in the second set, he instinctively tried to play the ball back with his fist \u2013 a moment that drew the crowd, and said something about the spirit he carried into the match. It was not enough.<\/p>\n
With Alcaraz gone, Sinner is the only player in the draw to justify the favourite\u2019s tag. He will face the winner of the match between Cameron Norrie, the No 19 seed, and Argentine Thiago Agustin Tirante next.<\/p>\n
Asked on court about learning Spanish, the world No 1 offered his most entertaining moment of the afternoon. When the interviewer corrected his mention of \u201cBumble\u201d \u2014 pointing out it was a dating app \u2014 Sinner was emphatic: \u201cBabble! I don\u2019t need a dating app.\u201d<\/p>\n
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