Jannik Sinner defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the Italian Open final to win the title, becoming the first Italian player to win the tournament in Rome since 1976.

Italian star Jannik Sinner made history on Sunday by winning the 2026 Italian Open title. World No. 1 Sinner defeated Norway's Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the final to claim the title. With this victory, he became the first male player to lift the trophy in Rome since Adriano Panatta in 1976. It has been nearly 50 years since an Italian player won the Italian Open.

Rudd initially increased the pressure

In the final, Casper Ruud started strongly and tried to pressure Sinner in the opening games. Sinner also had some errors on his first serve during the match, and he appeared to be struggling to find his rhythm. However, after a 4-4 draw in the first set, he made a strong comeback. Sinner then regained control of his game and won the first set 6-4.

Sinner's impressive performance in the second set

The second set was also a thrilling one. Ruud attempted a comeback with a long set, but Sinner held his nerve and continued to improve, winning the second set 6-4. The match lasted one hour and 44 minutes, and Sinner prevailed.

Sinner equals Djokovic

With this victory, Sinner reached another major milestone in his career. He has now become only the second player in history to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles. Previously, this record was held by Novak Djokovic, who achieved this feat in 2018.

Siner won the title in the presence of the President

Italian President Sergio Mattarella was also present to watch the final, adding to the significance of the victory. After the match, Sinner said, "I'm very happy that after 50 years an Italian player has won this title. There was pressure on both players and it wasn't perfect tennis, but the last two and a half months have been wonderful for me."

Sinner now eyes French Open

Jannik Sinner has already won the Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome Masters titles this season. His next target is the French Open (Roland Garros), which begins next Sunday. If Sinner, who has already won four Grand Slams, also wins the French Open, he will become the 10th male player in the world to complete the Career Grand Slam.

 PC: Prabhat Khabar