Jannik Sinner has continued his bid for the French Open title after reaching the quarter-finals.
Sinner beat Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the night session match on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
This is still only the Italian’s second tournament back, after Sinner was banned for three months following his anti-doping suspension.
Since returning to the matchcourt, Sinner has reached the Italian Open final and is now just three wins away from winning the French Open.
John McEnroe explains how Jannik Sinner’s ban may have improved his French Open chances
Former world number one John McEnroe has been watching Sinner at the French Open this year.
Following the three-time Grand Slam champion’s victory over Rublev, McEnroe has explained how Sinner’s ban after winning the Australian Open may have actually benefitted him.
“To me, in a way, [his ban] was like, dare I say, a blessing in disguise,” McEnroe said on TNT Sports. “Because there was a lot going on, obviously, the suspension we were like ‘Is it gonna happen? Is it not?’ Then he was exonerated, then he wasn’t. Then he accepted this three-month ban.
“He had won his second major, but to me, the good part was that he had a chance to sort of regroup get away from it, you know, and maybe ’cause I was unaware that this was even happening, so that must have been a lot of stress on him.
“I know it was killing him, that he wasn’t playing, but I how many tournaments did he really need to be playing? I don’t think that many. He needed a break after Australia.
“So perhaps he would have played two, three or four more, but I think it’s worked out pretty well for him to come back in Rome, get to the final, and now he’s looking great.”
Jannik Sinner vs Alexander Bublik Head-to-head
Sinner has dropped an average of just 2.5 games in the 12 sets he has played at the French Open so far this year.
His next opponent is the unorthodox Alexander Bublik, who shocked Jack Draper in their fourth round match.
This will be a fifth career meeting between Sinner and Bublik, with the former leading the head-to-head 3-1.
Bublik did actually win their latest match that took place on the grass of Halle in 2023, but that was as a result of a Sinner retirement.
This will also be the first time that Sinner and Bublik have played on clay, with the quarter-final taking place on Wednesday, June 4.
