World No. 1 Jannik Sinner defeated 23rd seed Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in one hour and 45 minutes to win the men's singles title at the Italian Open on Monday, May 18, 2026 (Philippine time).
Historic Achievement
According to Xinhua News Agency, the victory gave Sinner his maiden Rome title and made him the youngest player in history to complete the Career Golden Masters. Sinner became only the second player after Novak Djokovic to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles. He also became the first player to win six consecutive Masters 1000 tournaments and the first Italian men's singles champion in Rome since 1976.
Match Recap
Ruud came out aggressive early, relying on long rallies and drop shots to test Sinner physically. The Norwegian broke serve in the second game to take a 2-0 lead. Sinner gradually found his rhythm as the opening set remained tied at 4-4 before the crucial ninth game. The Italian used a series of well-placed drop shots to gain the upper hand, eventually securing the decisive break before serving out the set, 6-4.
In the second set, Sinner improved his first-serve percentage and broke Ruud in the opening game with a backhand down-the-line winner. He continued to dictate play from the baseline but faced pressure in the eighth game when an overhead error handed Ruud a break point. Sinner recovered to hold serve and preserve his lead before sealing the match with a forehand winner for another 6-4 finish.
Sinner's Reaction
“Not starting the match in a perfect way, but I tried to stay as calm as possible mentally,” Sinner said after the match. He added that he understood the significance of the moment and said there was “no better place” than Rome to complete the achievement, describing the Italian Open as one of the most special tournaments for Italian players.
Other Finals
In the doubles final, Italian pair Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori defeated second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6 (8), 6-7 (3), 10-3 to become the first Italian men's doubles champions in Rome in 66 years.
Earlier, Russian duo Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider defeated Cristina Bucsa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez 6-3, 6-3 in the women's doubles final to capture their third title together.
Meanwhile, Elina Svitolina defeated Coco Gauff in the women's singles final on Sunday.
