Carlos Alcaraz defeated top-ranked Jannik Sinner 7-6 (5), 6-1 on Sunday to claim his first Italian Open title, adding another major clay-court trophy to his collection. With this win, Alcaraz becomes the only player to beat Sinner more than once since last year, now with four consecutive victories and a 7-4 lead in their career meetings.
Alcaraz’s mental and tactical preparation proved key as he ended Sinner’s 26-match winning streak, which dated back to October’s China Open, also won by Alcaraz. The win cements Alcaraz’s position as the favorite for the upcoming French Open.
Sinner, returning after a three-month doping ban, made his first appearance since his Australian Open win in January. The Italian crowd at Foro Italico cheered him throughout, but it wasn’t enough to stop Alcaraz from claiming victory. Sinner missed a chance to become the first Italian man since 1976 to win the Italian Open.
On the women’s side, Jasmine Paolini made history by becoming the first Italian woman in 40 years to win the Italian Open, also sweeping the singles and doubles titles with partner Sara Errani — a feat last achieved by Monica Seles in 1990.
Alcaraz hit 19 winners to Sinner’s seven and will move up to No. 2 in the ATP rankings. With his win in Rome, Alcaraz joins an elite group of players to have won all three Masters 1000 clay events, alongside Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Gustavo Kuerten, and Marcelo Rios.
Source: Swifteradio.com
