Italian completes Career Golden Masters

Jannik Sinner became the first Italian champion at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia since Adriano Panatta in 1976 on Sunday, when he defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 to win his sixth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title.

With his one-hour, 44-minute victory, the World No. 1 also joined Novak Djokovic as just the second player to complete the Career Golden Masters in series history, having now captured all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles. Djokovic achieved the feat in 2018 after winning Cincinnati.

"I think this year was the 50th year since an Italian won and I am really, really happy," Sinner said in his on-court interview. "There was a lot of tension on both sides, it was not perfect tennis from both of us, but I am really happy. [It has been] an incredible past two and a half months. I try to put myself in the best possible position every time and do the best I can. Not every day is simple, but I am really, really happy."

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Roared on by a packed Campo Centrale crowd, Sinner recovered from a slow start to secure his 10th Masters 1000 crown and first in Rome. After weathering an early wave of Ruud aggression, the Italian gradually imposed himself with relentless depth and precision from the baseline to take control of the final and triumph. The 24-year-old raised his arms aloft after sealing victory, soaking in the atmosphere before embracing his team courtside.

There had been physical question marks surrounding Sinner heading into the final after the 24-year-old’s demanding semi-final win against Daniil Medvedev, which began on Friday but was completed on Saturday following a late-night rain suspension. Sinner appeared fatigued at times during that clash, bending over between points, but he moved freely and confidently against Ruud, who had booked his place in the championship match on Friday with a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 win against Luciano Darderi.

"It was physical and very tough but I am very happy," Sinner added. "I give big thanks to my physical team I have all year long, trying to keep up my body, which is as important as the tennis coaches, so I am really happy."

Ruud did not break Sinner in their past two matches and lost their meeting in Rome last year 6-0, 6-1. But the 23rd seed won eight of the first nine points to take a quick 2-0 lead. However, the Italian then settled and started to time the ball more cleanly, striking a backhand winner down the line in the third game to get on the board.

Sinner gained further momentum at 4-4, 15/15 when he hit a perfect drop shot. The 24-year-old raised his fist after, prompting a rendition of ‘Ole, Ole, Ole, Sinner, Sinner’ around Campo Centrale. The World No. 1 broke Ruud's serve in that game, and then clinically held to love to seal the opener.

Sinner broke Ruud immediately at the start of the second set when he blasted a backhand winner down the line. The 29-time tour-level champion, playing with confidence, continued to demonstrate good touch, highlighted by a drop shot-volley lob combination at 3-2, 0/0 in the second set.

However, with a first Rome title in touching distance, Sinner seemingly felt the pressure in the eighth game of the set when he missed a smash at 4-3, 40/40. The top seed crucially saved the break point and then held to move a game away. Sinner then closed out at the first time of asking to improve to 36-2 in his standout season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

"I have to congratulate Jannik for his first title here," Ruud said during the trophy presentation. "What you are doing this year is hard to describe with words. As someone who is also playing tennis at the highest level, to realise what you are doing is hard to describe.

"It is an honour to watch you play and to be able to share the court with you today in a beautiful arena at your home Masters 1000. Congratulations to you for making history for yourself, your country, your team. It is fantastic to witness."

Sinner has won a record-extending 34 consecutive Masters 1000 matches, having surpassed Djokovic’s previous mark of 31 with his quarter-final win against Andrey Rublev in Rome. The Italian has also captured six straight Masters 1000 titles in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, after no player had previously won more than four in a row.

In another landmark achievement, Sinner also became just the second player after Rafael Nadal in 2010 to sweep all three clay-court Masters 1000 titles in the same season. The top seed is the seventh player in history to win 10 Masters 1000 crowns, having earned his maiden trophy at the level in Toronto in 2023. Remarkably, Sinner has yet to lose a set in any Masters 1000 final he has won.

Ruud was competing in his fourth title match at this level and was chasing a second Masters 1000 crown after triumphing in Madrid last season. The Norwegian had fallen outside the Top 20 following a quarter-final exit in the Spanish capital earlier this month, but his run to the final in Rome lifts him to No. 17 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.

The former World No. 2 Ruud had dropped more than four games in just one set en route to the championship match, but he again found the Sinner matchup a difficult puzzle to solve. The Italian now leads the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series 5-0 and has won all 10 sets they have contested.

Ruud’s forehand had been one of the standout shots of the fortnight in Rome, yet Sinner consistently neutralised it by pinning the Norwegian deep into the backhand corner with pace and accuracy. Ruud countered this by hugging the baseline to try to dictate the tempo, but was unable to knock Sinner off balance enough.

Sinner has now captured five Masters 1000 crowns this season and stands one shy of matching Djokovic’s record of six in a single year.

Did You Know?
The last time Sinner lost a completed match at a Masters 1000 event was against Carlos Alcaraz in Rome last year. Since then, the Italian has won six titles at the level and retired mid-match in Cincinnati and Shanghai. He did not compete in Toronto in 2025.