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World No. 1 Jannik Sinner clinched the Italian Open title on Sunday after he defeated Norway's Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the final, and became the first Italian man since Adriano Panatta in 1976 to win the Rome crown. The star player also completed the career Golden Masters ahead of Roland Garros.
The final was also attended by Italian President Sergio Mattarella, adding to the significance of the occasion. Ruud began strongly and looked intent on challenging the top seed early on, taking an initial advantage as Sinner struggled to find his rhythm and committed several first-serve errors. However, at 4-4 in the opening set, Sinner regained control, steadied his game, and went on to take the set 6-4. The second set followed a similar pattern, with Sinner dictating play for long stretches, though Ruud continued to push him into extended, physically demanding rallies. Despite Ruud's improved preparation and resilience--helped by having more recovery time before the final--Sinner maintained his composure and closed out the match with the same scoreline to secure the title on home soil. With his one-hour, 44-minute victory, the World No. 1 also joined Novak Djokovic as just the second player to complete the Career Golden Masters in series history, having now captured all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles. Djokovic achieved the feat in 2018 after winning Cincinnati. "I think this year was the 50th year since an Italian won and I am really, really happy," Sinner said in his on-court interview. "There was a lot of tension on both sides; it was not perfect tennis from both of us, but I am really happy. An incredible past two and a half months. I try to put myself in the best possible position every time and do the best I can. Not every day is simple but I am really, really happy." Sinner has now captured five Masters 1000 crowns this season and stands one shy of matching Djokovic's record of six in a single year. (ANI)
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