Carlos Alcaraz defeated top-ranked Jannik Sinner to win his first Italian Open title on Sunday. Alcaraz’s victory snapped Sinner’s 26-match winning streak, which had stretched back to October.
The win marked the fifth time this year that Alcaraz has beaten Sinner, giving him a career series lead of 7-4 over their rivals. Alcaraz’s confidence boost comes after beating Sinner for the fourth straight time, as well as winning his third clay-court event in three events this season.
Sinner was playing his first tournament back from a three-month doping ban, and many fans were eager to see him return. The crowd of 10,500 cheered on Sinner before the match began, with some even wearing orange, his theme color.
Despite leading at two set points in the first set, Sinner lost serve twice due to Alcaraz’s strong play. In the tiebreaker, Sinner was unable to convert two set points and ultimately lost 7-6 (5), 6-1.
Sinner attributed his loss to not being able to maintain his level throughout the match, saying he struggled with mental approach. On the other hand, Alcaraz praised himself for a well-tactically played match, maintaining his level from start to finish.
With this win, Alcaraz solidified his status as the favorite to defend his title at the French Open, which starts next Sunday. The victory also showcased Alcaraz’s dominance on clay courts, with him leading in winner count and unforced errors against Sinner.
The win marked a significant milestone for Alcaraz, who became the fifth man to win all three Masters 1000 clay events after Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Gustavo Kuerten, and Marcelo Rios.
Source: https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/45209672/carlos-alcaraz-beats-jannik-sinner-again-win-italian-open