Sinner and Gauff march on as Stearns sends Osaka packing at Italian Open

Jannik Sinner cruised into the last 16 of the Italian Open on Monday after comfortably beating lucky loser Jesper de Jong 6-4, 6-2 in front of a delighted crowd in Rome.

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World number one Sinner continued his Foro Italico comeback from a three-month doping ban by dealing with De Jong and setting up a clash with Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo in the next round.

Sinner was knocked out in the last 16 by Cerundolo the last time he played here, in 2023, and he is under no illusions that the 17th seed will be a big step up after two low-ranked opponents.

"Let's see, he's an amazing player, he has an amazing season until now," said Sinner of Cerundolo.

"It's going to be tough. For sure I have to raise my level... It’s going to be a good challenge, a good test for me and we'll see how it goes.”

The over 10,000 fans crammed into the centre court stands hope Sinner can end a 49-year wait for an Italian winner of the men’s tournament in the Italian capital.

But Monday's win was in reality another warm-up for 23-year-old’s stated objective of arriving at the French Open in top form.

De Jong, ranked at a career-high 93rd in the world, offered some resistance in a low-key contest in which Sinner showed signs of rustiness.