Carlos Alcaraz has extended Italy’s 49-year wait for a home player to win the men’s Italian Open title after beating Jannik Sinner in straight sets.
Alcaraz battled through a tricky opening set before cruising to a 7-6(5), 6-1, win at the Foro Italico. Ending Sinner’s run of 26 consecutive Tour-level wins, which began last October. The Spaniard now leads Sinner 7-4 in their head-to-head and is the first player this season to have won a third ATP title. He also won the Rotterdam Open in February (defeating Alex de Minaur) and the Monte Carlo Masters (defeating Lorenzo Musetti).
“I’m really, really happy to get my first Rome (title). I hope it’s not going to be the last one,” Alcaraz said during his on-court interview.
“I’m happy to see Jannick back at this amazing level. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t easy for him. Coming back after three months without playing. In the first tournament he played, he made the final. It is something insane.
“I’m just super happy to see them (Sinner and his team) around again.”
Throughout the opener, there was little to separate the two players, who have won seven Grand Slam titles between them. Sinner faced his first test at 2-2 after saving a break point to nudge ahead 3-2. Later in the set, he was on the verge of clinching it 7-5 after working his way to a 40-15 lead on the Alcaraz serve. However, the Spaniard battled back during a tightly contested eight-minute game to draw level.
Heading into the tiebreaker, it initially looked as if Alcaraz would seal it with ease after a Sinner mistake, followed by two consecutive aces from the third seed moved him to a 3-0 lead. However, his rival refused to back down by coming back from a mini-break down twice. In the end, it was a single point that separated the two. During a well-constructed rally when leading 6-5, Alcaraz hit a winning forehand at the net to seal the first set after more than 70 minutes of play.
Alcaraz continued his momentum into the second frame by breaking Sinner to love for a 2-0 lead. His breakthrough silenced the animated crowd, who were hoping to see a home player win the men’s title for the first time since Adriano Panatta in 1976. As the home favourite continued to falter on court, Alcaraz surged to victory with the help of some sublime defence and shot-making. Closing the match out with a nifty volley at the net.
“I’m Proud of myself and the way that I approached the match,” Alcaraz said of his latest win.
“Tactically, I think I did it pretty well from the first point until the last one.
“I wanted to maintain my level during the whole match. So I’m just really, really proud about everything I’ve done today.”
Sinner’s defeat came in what was his first tournament played since returning to the Tour following a 90-day suspension for an anti-doping violation. The penalty was issued under a case settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which argued the tennis star had a degree of responsibility in his failed test due to being in charge of his team. The failed test was blamed on Sinner’s former physio who used a spray containing the banned substance on his hand and then conducted treatment on him without gloves. There was no charge or accusation of deliberate doping.
“Before the tournament, I would have signed for the final,” Sinner said in Italian during the trophy presentation.
“I thank my team, we have spent three months that were anything but easy. Being here is already a great result: we trained a lot, but the tournament is different.”
Alcaraz’s Rome sucess comes ahead of his title defence at the French Open. So far this year, he has won 15 out of 16 matches on the clay with his only loss being to Holger Rune in the Barcelona Open final.
“All eyes are obviously now on Paris,” Alcaraz commented.
“Everyone is really focused on that tournament.
“Beating Jannik, winning Rome… I think both things mixed together give you great confidence coming to Paris.”
