Jannik Sinner became the second tennis player in history to win all nine Masters 1,000 titles today by defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud in the Rome final, extending his record to thirty-four consecutive victories in this tournament category. It was an iconic week for the world number one, who became the first Italian man to lift the trophy at the Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta achieved the feat back in 1976.
By defeating the world number twenty-five with a double 6-4 scoreline in one hour and forty-six minutes, Sinner captured the final Masters 1,000 crown missing from his résumé, matching a milestone previously achieved twice by Novak Djokovic.
The twenty-four-year-old Italian is the very first player to consecutively win the opening five Masters 1,000 tournaments of a single season, adding the Rome title to his previous victories in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid. Sinner also elevated his winning streak in this elite tier of tournaments to thirty-four matches, pulling further ahead of the previous milestone held by Djokovic, who achieved thirty-one consecutive wins during his historic 2011 run.
Furthermore, the Italian star became only the second player after the legendary “king of clay” Rafael Nadal to sweep all three Masters 1,000 events played on clay courts.
Read more about this topic: Tennis: Sinner equals Djokovic’s Masters streak (with video)
Casper Ruud found himself once again on the opposing side of the net during a historic moment for the sport, adding to a unique list of major tennis milestones where he finished as the runner-up.
The Norwegian was previously defeated when Djokovic broke the all-time Grand Slam record with his twenty-third title, when Nadal secured his fourteenth and final Roland Garros trophy, and when Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest world number one. Despite the loss, Ruud demonstrated a strong return to the elite form that previously carried him to the finals of the 2022 and 2023 editions of the French Open.
