A fire alarm and flashing emergency lights briefly interrupted the second game of the second set of the match between Sinner and Diallo. After a few minutes, both players agreed to continue, even though the fire alarm system had not yet been deactivated. They completed four more points before everything returned to normal.

Sinner during his match against Diallo in the third round of the Cincinnati Open, in Ohio, USA on 11/8. Photo: Reuters

Sinner during his match against Diallo in the third round of the Cincinnati Open, in Ohio, USA on 11/8. Photo: Reuters

This wasn't the only issue of the day at the Cincinnati Open. Sinner's match had already been delayed because the preceding contest between Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Sonego started later than scheduled due to a 75-minute power outage at the venue. After power was restored, Fritz defeated Sonego 7-6, 7-5.

Despite the earlier disruptions, the day ended on a positive note for Sinner. He started slowly, trailing Diallo 2-0, before winning six consecutive games to claim the first set. In the second set, Diallo forced a tie-break and even held set point. However, the Canadian was unable to capitalize, eventually losing 8-6.

Diallo served 10 aces during the match but also committed 10 double faults. Sinner, on the other hand, boasted an impressive 65% second serve win percentage. The four-time major champion also recorded 20 winners.

With this victory, Sinner extended his winning streak on hard courts to 22 matches. His last loss on this surface was against Carlos Alcaraz in the final in Beijing in October of last year.

The Cincinnati Open is Sinner's first tournament since winning Wimbledon. The 23-year-old has won 27 of 30 matches this season and has already qualified for the ATP Finals, a tournament he won last year. Sinner now needs 10 more victories to reach 300 career wins.

Sinner will move closer to that milestone if he defeats Adrian Mannarino in the fourth round of the Masters 1000 tournament in Cincinnati.

Elsewhere in the draw, Carlos Alcaraz will face Hamad Medjedovic in the third round. In the second round, the world number two dropped a set to Damir Dzumhur before prevailing 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. Alcaraz is currently on a 12-match winning streak in Masters 1000 events. He won consecutive titles at this level in Monte Carlo and Rome earlier this year.

Vy Anh