Whatever it was, the top-ranked Sinner cranked up his level to near-perfection at times in a 6-0, 6-1 dismantling of Ruud in the Italian Open quarterfinals on Thursday — a day after Sinner was granted an audience with the new tennis-playing pope just down the road at the Vatican.

Casper Ruud claimed the Madrid Masters crown. The Norwegian wished for more at the Rome Masters but experienced a humbling quarter-final defeat. Casper fell to world no. 1 Jannik Sinner 6-0 6-1 in 64 minutes,

Jannik Sinner stormed into the Rome Open semifinals, dropping just one game in a commanding performance against Casper Ruud.