It may just have been the most complete, brutal, frightening and clinical performance ever seen at the Rome Masters and possibly even in all of tennis.
Experienced Sky Sports Tennis commentator described Sinner’s opening few games in his 6-0, 6-1 demolition of Casper Ruud as “the best start to a match I’ve ever seen by any player” and it was hard to disagree with that assessment.
This was unplayable, flawless tennis from a player who seems to have used his time away from the sport to go to the next level and there is no doubt that this display will be remembered as one of the most complete seen in the modern era of the sport.
Sinner’s demolition of world No 7 Ruud was so complete that when the battered loser finally won a game in the second set, he raised his arms as if he were an amateur trying to win a point or two against a professional.
Yet this is a player who won his first ATP 1000 title in Madrid earlier this month and has been a finalist at the French Open on two occasions.
This is an opponent who will be one of Sinner’s big rivals when we get to Roland Garros and the second major of this tennis year later this month and on the evidence of this performance, there will only be one winner in Paris.