Carlos Alcaraz won his first Italian Open on Sunday after defeating world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 7-6 (5), 6-1 in the latter's first tournament back since his three-month doping ban.
The Spaniard also snapped his Italian counterpart's 26-match winning streak, which dated back to October 2024, when he lost to Alcaraz again in the China Open.
At the moment, Alcaraz is the only player to beat Sinner more than once since the start of last year and leads the pair's career series 7-4, per The Associated Press.
Moreover, Sunday's was a well-timed victory for Alcaraz, who will now look to keep the good vibes going heading into the French Open, starting next Sunday. The four-time major champion (and defending French Open champ) will now rise back up to No. 2 in the rankings.
"I’m just really happy to see Jannik back at this amazing level," Alcaraz after the win, per The Athletic. "Proud about myself, the way I approached the match—mentally, in terms of hitting the shots, tactically, in terms of play."
The French Open, the second Grand Slam event of the year, kicks off Sunday, May 25, starting at 12 p.m. local time.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Carlos Alcaraz Defeats No. 1 Jannik Sinner to Win Italian Open.
