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.

Ruud described Sinner's level as "close to perfection." Casper reflected on the match and admitted it did not feel that bad. He also stated it was fun to witness an opponent on a different level.

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