Carlos Alcaraz halted Italy’s celebrations on Sunday with a dominant 7-6(5), 6-1 victory over world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, claiming his first Italian Open title.
The previous day, the Rome crowd had already witnessed an Italian player, Jasmine Paolini, end a 40-year drought by defeating Coco Gauff in the women’s final. However, Alcaraz ensured there would be no Italian double as he fought off two set points while serving at 5-6 in the opening set, before cruising to victory in the second set to secure his seventh Masters 1000 title.
Alcaraz shared his joy after the win, saying, “I’m just really happy to get my first Rome title, hopefully, it’s not going to be the last one.” He also expressed admiration for Sinner’s return to top form, noting, “It’s something insane,” given that Sinner had just come back from a three-month doping suspension and still managed to make it to the final in his first tournament back.
The loss marks the end of Sinner’s 26-match unbeaten streak, which had started after his last defeat to Alcaraz in the final of the China Open in October 2024. Despite the loss, Sinner’s performance throughout the tournament, especially his dominant win over Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals, showed that he is rapidly returning to peak form.
Alcaraz, who had to withdraw from his first-round match in Madrid last month due to an injury, showed no signs of the adductor issue that kept him out. Looking ahead to the French Open, where he is the defending champion, Alcaraz expressed confidence, saying, “I have great confidence heading into Paris.”
Reflecting on his performance in the final, Alcaraz said, “Tactically, I think I played pretty well from the first point until the last one. I maintained my good level throughout the match, so I’m really proud of everything I did today.” He also noted that the victory, combined with his win over Sinner, gave him a boost of confidence heading into Roland Garros. “The final is not about playing, the final is about winning,” Alcaraz added, highlighting his winning mentality in finals.