World No. 1 Jannik Sinner defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the Italian Open final on Sunday, completing the coveted Golden Masters. He is now only the second man after Novak Djokovic to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 events, the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams.

The victory also made Sinner the first Italian man to win the tournament since Adriano Panatta in 1976. The triumph came on the red clay of the Foro Italico in Rome, where jubilant home fans ended a half-century wait for a homegrown champion.

“There’s no better place to complete this set,” Sinner said. “For an Italian, it’s one of the most special places we play tennis in. To win at least once in my career means a lot to me.”

Djokovic achieved the career set in 2018 at age 31. Sinner, 24, has extended his winning streak to 29 matches, not losing since February. With his main rival Carlos Alcaraz sidelined due to a right wrist injury, Sinner has proven difficult to beat, going 17-0 on clay this year.

In the final, Sinner overcame an early break to go down 2-0 in the first set, quickly breaking back and then breaking again with three key drop shots. He broke early in the second set with a powerful backhand winner down the line, improving to 5-0 in his career against Ruud.

“What you’re doing this year, it’s hard to describe in words,” Ruud told Sinner during the trophy ceremony. “It’s really an honour to watch you play. … Congratulations for making history.”

Sinner’s win was witnessed by Italian President Sergio Mattarella. Additionally, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori became the first Italian duo to win the men’s doubles title in Rome since 1960, beating Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

Source: www.aljazeera.com