This Week in Tennis: Sinner Makes More History in Rome

Sinner Completes Golden Masters

Jannik Sinner continues to carve his name into the history books.

The Italian defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia final on Sunday in Rome to win his sixth-straight Masters 1000 title. The world No.1 joins Novak Djokovic as the only men to complete the Career Golden Masters in singles, having captured all nine 1000-level titles.

Sinner, 24, also became the first man to complete the Sunshine Double (Indian Wells, Miami) and the Clay Triple (Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome) in the same season.

“There's no better place to complete this set,” Sinner said of achieving the Career Golden Masters at his home tournament. “In 2019, [I made my] debut here on this court. I always felt very positive, but in a different way, a lot of attention, a lot of emotions going through. It means a lot.

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“I believe 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.”

Sinner extended his record to 34 consecutive Masters 1000 match wins after surpassing Djokovic’s mark of 31 in his quarter-final win over Andrey Rublev. 

The only things missing from Sinner’s trophy case are the Career Grand Slam, which he will have a chance to complete at Roland-Garros, and the Olympic gold medal. He will soon have a chance at the former as Roland-Garros begins this week. The Italian has fallen to Carlos Alcaraz in each of the past two years in Paris. This year, Sinner will not have to face his biggest adversary, as Alcaraz withdrew from the season’s second Grand Slam due to a wrist injury. 

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Svitolina Wins Rome for Third Time

Elina Svitolina defeated Coco Gauff 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2 in a spirited final to claim the title in Rome for a third time. The 33-year-old previously won back-to-back Italian Open titles in 2017 and 2018.

“It’s very hard to believe that it’s been eight years when I had this trophy here and very, very, very pleased of course with the two weeks here,” Svitolina said on court after the win. "I'm very happy with the way I could handle my nerves, not only today but also throughout this tournament. I think the two weeks, it's been tough, but I'm very happy with the way I've been playing, the way my body been reacting on these tough matches. Just very proud of the effort."

The 31-year–old improved to 8-0 in clay-court finals in her career and became the first player to record three Top 5 wins en route to a Rome title, as she defeated No. 2 Elena Rybakina, No. 4 Iga Swiatek, and the third-ranked Gauff on her way to the trophy.

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This is the 20th career WTA title for the Ukrainian.

All Winners This Week:

ATP 1000 - Rome

• Men’s Singles: Jannik Sinner* (5/29) d. Casper Ruud
• Men’s Doubles: Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori d. Marcel Granollera and Horacio Zeballos

WTA 1000 - Rome

• Women’s Singles: Elina Svitolina* (2/20) d. Coco Gauff
• Women’s Doubles: Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider d. Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar Martinez

* 2026 Titles/Career Titles

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Feature Photo : Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour