Sinner leaves no chance to Fils to join Federer, Nadal and Djokovic by reaching final of all nine Masters events
Sinner (No 1) beat Fils (No 21) 6-2, 6-4, broke three times without facing a single break point, and joined Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in a list that had three names in it for a long time. Aged 24, he’s the youngest to achieve the feat.
Jannik Sinner, Madrid 2026 | © Alterphotos / PsNewz
Jannik Sinner, the top seed, defeated Frenchman Arthur Fils, the No 21 seed, 6-2, 6-4 on Friday afternoon to reach the final of the Mutua Madrid Open, becoming the fourth man in history to reach the final of all nine Masters 1000 events – joining Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and doing so at 24, younger than any of them.
The match was decided by the quality of Sinner’s returning and the nervousness that gripped Fils in the opening stages. The Frenchman, who had not lost on clay in 2026 before Friday, was broken three times – twice in then first, as he struggled to find the rhythm that had carried him through Barcelona title and five rounds in Madrid.
Sinner’s incredible last break point
He settled as the match wore on, holding at 2-2 in the second set and forcing Sinner to earn every point. He did not face a single break point. At 4-4 in the second, Sinner produced the decisive moment, a backhand down the line at the end of a gruelling rally that broke Fils and, effectively, ended the contest. “In the second, I managed to find solutions, to vary a bit more, to stay more solid in my backhand diagonal, Fils said. It got better and better, but it wasn’t enough.”
“I tried to be best aggressive”, Sinner said on court. “I felt very comfortable in the return. Second set he started to serve better so it was more difficult. I’m trying to play the best possible tennis I can in this moment. Today was a very good day in the office. But I knew it before the match, he’s one of the best players in the world at the moment. I’m very happy I’ve played against him. Arthur is very good for tennis, for the sport. I’m really happy about today’s performance.”
Sinner : “different conditions today”
Sinner won the set, then the match, without facing a break point across the entire 6-2, 6-4 result. He has now won 27 consecutive matches at Masters level, 54 of his last 56 sets at that level, and 44 of his last 46 matches across all competitions. We get used to these numbers whereas we should not – they are the mark of the highest standard.
• MASTERS 1000 — Jannik Sinner’s record
Indian Wells (Hard)
• Trophies: 1 (2026)
• Finals: 1
• 1st final: 2026, win vs Medvedev 7-6(6) 7-6(4)
Miami (Hard)
• Trophies: 2 (2024, 2026)
• Finals: 4 •
• 1st final: 2021, loss vs Hurkacz 7-6(4)
Monte-Carlo (Clay)
• Trophies: 1 (2026)
• Finals: 1
• 1st final: 2026, win vs Alcaraz 7-6(5) 6-3
Madrid (Clay)
• Trophies: 0
• Finals: 1 (2026) – To be played
Rome (Clay)
• Trophies: 0
• Finals: 1
• 1st final: 2025, loss vs Alcaraz 7-6(5) 6-1
Canada — Montreal / Toronto (Hard)
• Trophies: 1 (2023)
• Finals: 1
• 1st final: 2023, win vs De Minaur 6-4 6-1
Cincinnati (Hard)
• Trophies: 1 (2024)
• Finals: 2
• 1st final: 2024 win vs Tiafoe 7-6(4) 6-2
Shanghai (Hard)
• Trophies: 1 (2024)
• Finals: 1
• 1st final: 2024 win vs Djokovic 7-6(4) 6-3
Paris (Indoor hard)
• Trophies: 1 (2025)
• Finals: 1
• 1st final: 2025, win vs Auger-Aliassime 6-4 7-6(4)
Asked how he could increase so vivifly his level at the end of the tournament, Sinner answered : “I always say first rounds are very tough. Then after you have to gear up a little bit. Because opponents have the same rhythm as you. They have the same amount of matches. We had different conditions today. I tried to adapt myself in the best possible way.”
I’ve faced very good players recently, but this was different.
Fils stated about his opponent: “He’s a great champion. He hasn’t lost a match since Indian Wells, maybe (Doha, editor’s note). He plays very well, with a lot of confidence. He strikes the ball very cleanly on both sides and he served very well too. His first set was very good, a bit complicated for me. I had to get used to the speed of his ball. I’ve faced very good players recently, but this was different. Against him, playing very good tennis isn’t enough.”
Sinner awaits the winner of the second semi-final between Alexander Zverev, the second seed, and Belgian Alexander Blockx in Sunday’s final.
