Italy’s Jannik Sinner serves to Norway’s Casper Ruud during the men’s final of the ATP Rome Open tennis tournament at Foro Italico in Rome on May 17, 2026. (Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty Images
Jannik Sinner continues to rewrite the tennis history books.
The 24-year-old world No. 1 became the first Italian man in 50 years to win the Italian Open when he defeated Casper Ruud, 6-4, 6-4, in Sunday’s final. Adriano Panatta was the last Italian man to take the title in 1976.
Sinner won his 29th straight match, his 34th in a row in ATP Masters 1000 events and has now joined Novak Djokovic as the only men to win all nine 1000 titles.
Djokovic didn’t do it until he was 31. The Serb has done it twice and is a Monte Carlo title away from doing it three times.
Sinner has now won six straight ATP Masters 1000 titles and five in a row in 2026 – Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Monte Carlo and Rome.
In the words of Brett Haber of Tennis Channel, Sinner pulled off “the Sunshine Double plus the Clay Court Triple.”
The Italian is the prohibitive favorite to win the upcoming French Open where two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is out with a a wrist injury.
Italian president Sergio Mattarella was on hand to watch the match on a day when the Italian men’s doubles team of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori captured the title, marking the first time in 66 years a homegrown doubles team won the title.
One year after losing the Italian open final to his rival Alcaraz, Sinner faced a much different opponent in Ruud.
The Italian was 4-0 against Ruud coming in, including a 6-0, 6-1 destruction in last year’s quarterfinals.
“He sort of looks unplayable and unbeatable these days,” Ruud said on Tennis Channel ahead of the final. “But you have to just try to think, he is human, too…When you keep winning and winning , you will get closer to that first loss in a while. You just hope, whenever I show up, that will be the day. But I guess I just have to think that raising your level one level is not going to be enough against this guy, you have to raise it two, three or four times and then see if you can hang with him from there. If I want to have a chance to beat him, I will have to play my best match of the year, and let’s try to do that.”
In the first set, Ruud held and broke for a quick 2-0 lead but proceeded to make 15 unforced errors in the set and Sinner took charge to win it. Sinner broke for 5-4 and then closed it out at love with a forehand overhead winner.
Sinner then broke to start the second set with a backhand winner up the line for a 1-0 lead.
Serving for the title at 5-4 in the second, Sinner closed it out at love, winning the match on an inside-out forehand winner before embracing Ruud at net.