Alcaraz beats Sinner to win Italian Open and send Roland Garros warning

Carlos Alcaraz clinched the Italian Open title on Sunday with a commanding 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 win over Jannik Sinner in a much-anticipated final, firing a major warning to his rivals ahead of Roland Garros.

The 22-year-old Spaniard captured his third title of the season and second ATP Masters 1000 trophy of the year, adding Rome to his Monte Carlo triumph. He will rise to world No. 2 on Monday, behind Sinner, who leads the ATP rankings despite Sunday’s defeat.

“Beating Jannik and winning in Rome, I think both things mixed together give you a great confidence coming to Paris,” said Alcaraz. “I’m going to enjoy this moment with my family, with my team, friends that came from home… and then my focus is on Roland Garros.”

Alcaraz is the only player to have beaten Sinner in a tour final this season, ending the Italian’s 26-match winning streak. He previously defeated Sinner in the 2023 China Open final, and Sunday’s result marked his fourth final appearance of 2024.

Sinner, playing his first tournament since a brief ban for a contamination doping case, missed two set points in game 12 of the opener. Alcaraz surged ahead in the tie-break and raced through the second set, winning five straight games to seal his first Rome crown.

Sinner praised Alcaraz as “the man to beat” in Paris and jokingly thanked his brother Mark for “preferring to go to Imola to watch Formula One instead of being here.”

(Source: AFP)