Carlos Alcaraz finished his fourth consecutive victory over world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, with the latest in the final of the Italian open – the last Masters 1000 tournament at the beginning at the French Open. Alcaraz handed Sinner his first defeat of the year and stopped his dream run in Rome with 7-6 (5), 6-1 victories in the title match on Sunday 18 May.
Jannik Sinner also surprised himself and his team by playing near his peak at the Italian open – his first competition after a three -month -old doping ban. However, he was controlled by Alcaraz, who survived a hard opening set before dominating others to seal the victory of direct sets.
Sinner has not lost many matches in the last two seasons, but Alcaraz has now been defeated four times in the last 18 months. The Sunday result also ended his 26-match undefeated run, which stopped by a player who constantly builds an impressive reputation in European clay courts.
By requiring his first title in Rome, Alcaraz confirmed his status as a favorite to maintain the crown of Roland Garros. 22-year-old Spaniard launched the season of clay courts by winning Monte Carlo Masters, followed by a runner-up in Barcelona.
“I’m really glad to get my first title in Rome. Hopefully it won’t be my last. All eyes are now on Paris, Roland Garros,” Alcaraz said after his triumph on Sunday.
“Bitting Jannika, the victory of Rome – both things give me great confidence in Paris. I always say:
Alcaraz also took the time of Sinner’s praise for his level of play during the tournament, which meant his return to the competition from his Australian Open Triumph in January.
Sinner made a strong statement in Rome, especially with the demolition of Casper RUud from the direct set in the quarterfinals. Ruud came to the Italian Open Fresh from his title victory in Madrid Masters, one of the three events of the Masters 1000 on the clay.
“The first thing I want to say is that I’m really happy to see Janik back on this amazing level. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him to come back after three months and reach the Masters 1000 finals in his first tournament.
The French Open will take place in Paris from May 25 to June 8.
Published:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
18 May 2025
