Jannik Sinner vs Casper Ruud Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Sinner to reach first Rome semi-final

It's been a successful return to action for Sinner so far in Rome, with the Italian not dropping a set on his way to the quarter-finals, playing in his first tournament since defending his Australian Open title in January. Sinner is picking up from where he left off and comes into this encounter on a 24-match winning streak - and he's received a favourable matchup in the quarter-finals as he tries to break new ground at his home tournament.

Ruud is obviously no slouch - in fact, he has the third-best win/loss percentage on tour so far in 2025 behind Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz and he's coming off the biggest title of his career in Madrid. However, Ruud has been bullied by Sinner in their previous meetings, going 0-6 in sets. Sinner hasn't lost a step and looks stronger physically too. Anything other than another relatively routine win for Sinner would be considered a surprise in my eyes.

Sinner leads 3-0, winning 6-1 6-2 in their most-recent clash at the year-end ATP Finals in 2024. This will be their first encounter on clay.

Sinner comes into this contest with a perfect 10-0 record on the season, winning his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open before serving a three-month suspension for breaching doping protocols.

It's been a smooth return for Sinner - he's won all three of his matches in Rome in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals for just the second time at his home tournament.

First up for Sinner was a tough test in Mariano Navone, but the Italian was clinical in a 6-3 6-4 triumph before easing past lucky loser Jesper de Jong 6-4 6-2. Sinner then raised his level for the challenge of Francisco Cerundolo in the R16, with the Argentine winning the most clay matches on tour in 2025. Sinner edged out a first set tiebreak before completing the 7-6 6-3 win.

The 23-year-old has now won 101 of his last 109 matches dating back to October 2023 and will be gunning for a 25th straight win since the end of 2024, where he's picked up consecutive titles at the Shanghai Masters, ATP Finals and Australian Open.

Ruud heads into this showdown with a very solid 24-6 record on the season, with only Sinner and Alcaraz boasting a better win/loss percentage.

Truth be told, it was a solid but unspectacular season for Ruud up until the Madrid Masters, where he put together a brilliant run to capture the biggest title and maiden Masters 1000 crown of his career, beating the likes of Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev and Jack Draper.

Continuing his winning momentum, Ruud has advanced into the Rome quarter-finals for the loss of just one set, toppling Alexander Bublik, Matteo Berrettini and Jaume Munar.

Ruud comes into this clash with a slight disadvantage - he wasn't unable to enjoy a day off due to the rain, beating Munar 6-4 6-3 on Wednesday as Sinner enjoyed a rest day.