World No. 1 Jannik Sinner made tennis history in Rome today, defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to win his first Italian Open title and complete the prestigious Career Golden Masters.
With the victory in front of a roaring, star-studded crowd at the Foro Italico, the 24-year-old Italian ended a 50-year drought for a home men’s singles champion in Rome, becoming the first to do so since Adriano Panatta in 1976.
Nervy start
Ruud caught Sinner off guard early, racing to a 2-0 lead in the opening set as the Italian struggled to find his first serve. However, Sinner quickly shook off the nerves. Powered by his relentless baseline depth and heavy backhand, he broke back and secured a crucial late break to lock down the first set 6-4.
Sinner carried that momentum directly into the second set, breaking Ruud in the very first game. While Ruud forced long, grueling rallies and earned a break point in the seventh game, Sinner held his nerve, serving out the match in one hour and 45 minutes.
“There was a lot of tension on both sides, it was not perfect tennis from both of us, but I am really happy,” Sinner said during the trophy ceremony. “[It has been] an incredible past two and a half months.”
A Historic List of Records Broken
By capturing the title in Rome, Sinner wrote a new chapter in the tennis history books:
- The Career Golden Masters: Sinner is now only the second man in ATP history (joining Novak Djokovic) to win all nine Masters 1000 tournaments at least once. At 24 years old, Sinner completed the feat seven years younger than Djokovic did (who completed it at 31).
- The Masterful Streak: Sinner extended his record-breaking Masters 1000 winning streak to 34 consecutive matches. He had already broken Djokovic’s previous record of 32 straight wins earlier in the week.
- Five in a Row: He is the first player in ATP history to sweep the first five Masters 1000 events of a single season (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, and Rome).
- Clay Court Dominance: Sinner joined Rafael Nadal as the only players to win all three clay-court Masters 1000 events (Monte-Carlo, Madrid, and Rome) in the same calendar year.
“…he’s an incredible player. Me having played all of the top players in the world in my career, when he plays his best, there’s not many that can reach this level, if anyone at all in the world.” Ruud commented after the final.
Most Career MASTERS 1000 Titles (since 1990):
- 40: Novak Djokovic
- 36: Rafael Nadal
- 28: Roger Federer
- 17: Andre Agassi
- 14: Andy Murray
- 11: Pete Sampras
- 10: Jannik Sinner
- 8: Thomas Muster
- 8: Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner celebrating with the Rome ball kids after winning the title.
Joy overload. ???
(h/t @sinnervideos) pic.twitter.com/ZJ7TgQMzrC
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 17, 2026
Next Stop: Paris
With the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles already on his resume from the past two seasons, Sinner heads to Roland Garros as the overwhelming favorite. A victory at the French Open would complete his career Grand Slam, a goal that now looks entirely within reach.
Join us in the comments, will Sinner complete the career Grand Slam in Paris next month?