ROME: After a wait of more than 100 days, Jannik Sinner still knows how to win a tennis match.

The top-ranked player made a solid return from his three-month doping ban by beating 99th-ranked Mariano Navone 6-3, 6-4 before an adoring home crowd at the Italian Open on Saturday.

It was Sinner鈥檚 first match since he won his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.

鈥淎mazing feeling. I have waited quite long for this moment,鈥� Sinner said. 鈥淚 am very happy to be back.鈥�

There weren鈥檛 too many signs of rust and it didn鈥檛 take long for Sinner to start crushing his groundstrokes on or near the lines. When the Italian broke for 3-1 in the first set, the crowd inside Campo Centrale sang 鈥淥le, ole, ole, Sin-ner, Sin-ner.鈥�

Many fans in the soldout crowd of 10,500 were dressed in orange, Sinner鈥檚 theme color. And there were plenty of signs that said 鈥淏entornato Jannik鈥� (鈥淲elcome back Jannik鈥�).

The victory extended Sinner鈥檚 winning streak to 22 matches, dating to October.

鈥淚t went very well at times,鈥� he said. 鈥淐ould be better, yes, but in any case it doesn鈥檛 matter about the result today. It has been a remarkable day for me.鈥�

In February, Sinner agreed to the three-month ban in a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency that raised some questions, since it conveniently allowed him not to miss any Grand Slams and come back at his home tournament.

The settlement was made after WADA appealed a decision last year by the International Tennis Integrity Agency to fully exonerate Sinner for what it deemed to be an accidental contamination by a banned anabolic steroid in March 2024.

Many fellow pros feel Sinner was treated too lightly.

But the crowd at the Foro Italico night session was fully behind Sinner, who has remained Italy鈥檚 most popular athlete despite his suspension.

When Sinner unleashed a backhand approach winner up the line early in the first set 鈥� the game in which he eventually broke Navone鈥檚 serve 鈥� one Sinner fan yelled, 鈥淒estroy him.鈥�

Another sign in the crowd translated to 鈥淢ake our hearts beat.鈥� One more referred to this week鈥檚 election of a new pope just down the road at the Vatican, joking that 鈥淎fter three months of conclave, Habemus Papam!鈥� 鈥� using the Latin words that are announced from the balcony of St. Peter鈥檚 Basilica when a pope is elected.

鈥淭he crowd was incredible,鈥� Sinner said. 鈥淭hey always give me strength to continue even in tough times. So it was a very, very special moment.鈥�

His only real lapse came late in the second set when he failed to consolidate a break and dropped his serve. But he broke again in the next game and then served the match out.

Sinner hit twice as many winners as Navone, 21-10; but had more unforced errors, 24-19.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very difficult to have the right feedback when you don鈥檛 have any matches,鈥� Sinner said. 鈥淏ut exactly that鈥檚 what I need. Now I think the best practice is the match itself.鈥�

Sinner will next face 93rd-ranked Dutch qualifier Jesper De Jong, who beat 25th-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-0, 6-2.

The last Italian man to win the Rome title was Adriano Panatta in 1976.

Swiatek loses to Collins
In the women鈥檚 tournament, three-time champion Iga Swiatek was beaten by Danielle Collins 6-1, 7-5. The third-round loss marked Swiatek鈥檚 earliest defeat at a big WTA event in nearly four years.

Swiatek, the top clay-court player on the women鈥檚 tour, was coming off a lopsided loss to Coco Gauff in the Madrid Open semifinals last week. She has 15 days to rediscover her form before the French Open starts on May 25.

Swiatek has won four of her five Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros.