Jannik Sinner is approaching yet another record having claimed his spot as the third highest points scorer in ATP history.
There can be no doubt, Sinner has proven himself to be the best player in the world and someone who could soon force his way into the GOAT debate.
On Wednesday, he saved five break points in the second set and won 11 points in a row during a meeting with 19-year-old wild card Rafael Jodar to book a place in a Madrid Open semi-final.
The result marked his 26th consecutive win that at Masters 1000 level, surpassing tennis legend Rafael Nadal’s best streak of 23 wins in a row and closing in on both Roger Federer’s record of 29 and Novak Djokovic's record of 31.
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But that's not all that Sinner achieved in the match, as the win took his total points on the ATP tour to 13,750, the third highest in the history of the tennis association.
Sinner surpassed rival Carlos Alcaraz, who is currently sidelined with a wrist injury, and looks likely to soon climb even further up the rankings.
Second on the list is Nadal at 15,390, and should Sinner win in Madrid and in the upcoming events in Rome and Paris he will reach a total of 15,400 points, placing him ahead by exactly 10 points.
Unsurprisingly, Djokovic holds the record with an incredible 16,950 points, but it is not unthinkable that Sinner could dethrone the Serbian tennis legend.
Sinner hits unbelievable shot to secure spot in Madrid Open semi-final
Although Sinner continued his historic run of form by beating Jodar, it was far from an easy win for the world number one.
Jodar, who picked up his first tour title in Morocco in April, had the chance to pull 4-2 ahead in the second set, but Sinner managed to hold off the talented youngster.
In perhaps the most impressive moment, Sinner defended a break point with Jodar 4-3 ahead as he plays an incredible angle to save the point.
Speaking after the match, Sinner paid tribute to his opponent, admitting he had struggled at times.
"Look, he's [Jodar] an incredible player, Spain has one more incredible player and it's great for the sport," Sinner told Sky Sports.
"A tough challenge. I knew already before the match it's going to be very tough to beat him, especially here.
Jannik Sinner joins tennis royalty with historic ATP Tour feat
Reaching the semi-finals in Madrid means Sinner is now only the 6th player to reach penultimate in all nine Masters 1000.
Those events are: Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Montreal/Toronto (Canadian Open), Cincinnati, Shanghai, and Paris.
The other five to achieved this feat are Djokovic, Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Alexander Zverev.
Topics: Jannik Sinner, Tennis, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic
Ben McCrum