Sebastian Ofner has a gigantic task in his next match at the Italian Masters, but he says believing in himself will be key.
The Austrian headed into this year’s event having only won one main draw match at an ATP event ranked 250 or above. This was earlier this month at the Madrid Open when he defeated Nikoloz Basilashvili. In recent months, Ofner has played on the lower-level Challenger circuit, where he has won two events in France between February and March.
Ofner recorded his second Masters main draw win of 2026 in Rome by beating Alex Michelsen 6-3, 6-3. A player who is currently ranked 40 places higher than him at 42nd in the world.
“I think it was a great win. I hadn’t played many matches on the main tour this year,” Ofner said after his match.
“I really like the atmosphere. Italian fans are sometimes a little crazy, but I like playing in that kind of atmosphere. Whether they’re cheering for me or the other guy, it’s still great to be part of matches like that. The Pietrangeli is definitely one of the most beautiful courts.”
The Austrian has secured a showdown with top seed Jannik Sinner in what will be his second meeting with a top 10 player this season. The first was against Alex de Minaur in Barcelona, which he lost 7-6(7), 6-4.
“It’s going to be pretty tough to beat him,” Ofner admits. “He’s only lost two matches this year. I’ll try to play my tennis, give it my all, and we’ll see how it goes. I have to believe I can beat him. Otherwise, I’d just be going out there to play.”
To even have a remote chance, Ofner knows there is one particular area of his game that needs to be at its very best.
“If I can serve really well, maybe it’ll be a close match. That could be the key.” He commented.
Sinner is currently on a 23-match winning streak after capturing titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome. He hasn’t lost to a player ranked outside the top 80 since September 2022.
Oafner’s clash with Sinner is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
