ROME (AP) \u2014 Italian tennis fans had waited for this moment for a half century.<\/p>\n
For Jannik Sinner<\/a>, though, it wasn\u2019t just about becoming the first Italian man to win the Italian Open<\/a> since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago.<\/p>\n The top-ranked Sinner\u2019s 6-4, 6-4 victory over Casper Ruud in Sunday\u2019s final on the red clay of the Foro Italico<\/a> also made him only the second man after Novak Djokovic<\/a> to win all nine Masters 1000 events \u2014 the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no better place to complete this set,\u201d Sinner said. \u201cFor an Italian, it\u2019s one of the most special places we play tennis in. To win at least once in my career means a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Djokovic completed the career set in 2018 in Cincinnati at age 31 \u2014 and then went on to win each event at least twice. Sinner is 24, and with his only real rival, Carlos Alcaraz, currently sidelined<\/a> due to a right wrist injury, seemingly nobody can beat him.<\/p>\n \u201cWelcome to the exclusive club, Jannik,\u201d Djokovic wrote on Instagram. <\/p>\n Sinner extended his winning streak to 29 matches. He hasn\u2019t lost since getting beat by Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinals on Feb. 19. And he\u2019s now 17-0 on clay this year entering the French Open, which starts next Sunday.<\/p>\n Sinner celebrated calmly as usual, revealing a wide smile when he landed an inside-out forehand on the line on his first championship point, then held his hands over his head in apparent relief. Then he waved to the crowd, which included 1976 champion Panatta sitting in the front row.<\/p>\n \u201cAdriano, after 50 years we\u2019ve won back a very important trophy,\u201d Sinner told the 75-year-old Panatta, who participated in the trophy ceremony.<\/p>\n Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam that Sinner hasn\u2019t won: He has two Australian Open titles and has won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open once each. <\/p>\n Soccer-style atmosphere<\/p>\n Sinner\u2019s triumph \u2014 with Italy President Sergio Mattarella in attendance \u2014 came after he lost last year\u2019s final in Rome to Alcaraz in his first tournament back after a three-month doping ban<\/a>. That defeat came a day after Jasmime Paolini<\/a> in 2025 became the first Italian woman to win the Rome singles title in 40 years \u2014 when she also claimed the doubles trophy with partner Sara Errani.<\/p>\n With many of Sinner\u2019s fans dressed in orange \u2014 his theme color, which matches his curly hair \u2014 the capacity crowd of 10,500 on Campo Centrale created a soccer-style atmosphere with chanting and loud cheers for the player who has become far and away Italy\u2019s most popular athlete.<\/p>\n After several key points, the crowd erupted into a cheer of \u201cOle, Ole, Ole, Ole; Sin-ner, Sin-ner.\u201d Then there was more chanting during the trophy presentation.<\/p>\n Angelo Binaghi, the president of the Italian tennis federation, suggested that even if there was a 25,000-seat center court in Rome \u2014 bigger than the U.S. Open\u2019s Arthur Ashe Stadium, the world\u2019s largest tennis arena \u2014 it would have been full.<\/p>\n No signs of fatigue<\/p>\n Sinner overcame exhaustion to beat Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals in a rain-delayed match that required two days to finish. But there were no signs of fatigue against the 25th-ranked Ruud, who has been one of the circuit\u2019s top clay-court players for years.<\/p>\n Ruud reached two finals at Roland Garros, losing to Rafael Nadal in 2022 and Novak Djokovic in 2023. But the Norwegian wasted an early break and a 2-0 advantage at the start of the first set against Sinner, who quickly broke back and then broke again toward the end of the set with the help of three key drop shots \u2014 two of which were so well-placed that Ruud didn\u2019t even run for them.<\/p>\n A big backhand winner up the line gave Sinner another break in the opening game of the second set.<\/p>\n Sinner improved to 5-0 in his career against Ruud.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat you\u2019re doing this year it\u2019s hard to describe in words,\u201d Ruud told Sinner during the trophy ceremony. \u201cIt\u2019s really an honor to watch you play. … Congratulations for making history.\u201d<\/p>\n Day to remember for Italy<\/p>\n It was an extra special day for the host nation after Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori became the first Italian duo to win the men\u2019s doubles title in Rome since 1960.<\/p>\n Bolelli and Vavassori beat Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6 (8), 6-7 (3), 10-3.<\/p>\n For both the singles and doubles finals, there was also a packed crowd watching on a jumbo screen on the statue-lined Pietrangeli court next to Campo Centrale.<\/p>\n