●》Italian is first player to win five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles
Jannik Sinner extended his relentless ATP Masters 1000 winning streak to hit a historic milestone on Sunday, when he overwhelmed Alexander Zverev to claim the title at the Mutua Madrid Open.
The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings eased to a 6-1, 6-2 championship-match triumph inside Manolo Santana Stadium to become the first man to win five consecutive Masters 1000 events.
Sinner, who has dropped just two sets across his five title runs (in Paris last November and Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Madrid in 2026), did not face a break point en route to his ninth consecutive Lexus ATP Head2Head win against Zverev.
“I think there is a lot of work behind it,” Sinner said, when asked what winning five Masters 1000 titles in a row meant to him.
“A lot of dedication and sacrifice I put in every day. Obviously, it means a lot to me, seeing these results. At some point, results are going to be down, which is normal.
“I’m very happy that I’ve continued to believe in myself. I’m showing up every day, at every practice session, trying to put in the right work with the right discipline. To do so, you need to have the right team behind you, which I have. I’m very happy about me, but also the team, and this means a lot to all of us.”
Zverev arrived in Madrid bidding to become the fourth man to win at least three Madrid titles after Rafael Nadal (five titles), Novak Djokovic (three) and Roger Federer (three).
Sinner had not been past the quarter-finals in three previous appearances at the Caja Magica, but the nature of his final victory could hardly have been more comprehensive.
Sinner’s dominance was reflected in several key metrics, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
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The Italian converted all four break points he earned, did not face a single break point himself, and won 93 per cent (27/29) of points behind his first serve.
He struck the ball with trademark power and precision from the baseline throughout, offering two-time Madrid champion Zverev little chance to find his feet in his first title match of the season.
“I started the match very well, breaking straight away,” Sinner reflected on his 58-minute win. “He was not playing his best tennis today, so I just tried to go with my front foot and I’m very happy obviously about the level I’m playing. Incredible winning another title like this, that means a lot to me. It’s been another incredible tournament.”
Sinner has now won eight of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments. The only title he is missing is the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, meaning the 24-year-old has the chance to complete the Career Golden Masters on home soil at the 2026 edition of that event, which begins next week.
Sinner is bidding to join Djokovic as the only man to complete the Career Golden Masters: The Serbian has won all nine Masters 1000 events twice.
Although Zverev was unable to find his best level in Sunday’s encounter, the way in which Sinner dismantled the World No. 3 was breathtaking to watch. The Italian raced to a 5-0 lead after losing only two points across Zverev’s first two service games, and the writing appeared on the wall after he capitalised on another sloppy game from the German to break for 2-1 in the second set.
If Sinner had any nerves as he marched towards his first Madrid title, he did not show them. With Zverev struggling to establish himself in rallies, the Italian notched his fourth break of the match for 5-2 and then aptly served out to love to cap his commanding win.
Sinner now leads Zverev 10-4 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having at one point trailed 1-4. He has now earned five straight-sets wins against his rival in the space of six months, including in each of his five consecutive Masters 1000 title runs. [atptour.com]
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