Sinner makes history with five consecutive Masters titles in 59-minute demolition of Zverev
Sinner (No 1) beat Zverev (No 2) 6-1, 6-2 in 59 minutes, won 13 consecutive sets against him, and made history. Five consecutive Masters titles. No player had done it since the series began in 1990.
Jannik Sinner, Madrid 2026 | © Manu Fernandez/AP/SIPA
No resistance allowed. Jannik Sinner, the top seed, became the first player in history to win five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles by defeating Alexander Zverev, the second seed, 6-1, 6-2 in 59 minutes on Sunday afternoon at the Mutua Madrid Open, a final that was over almost before it began.
He’s also the first man ever to win the first four Masters events of the season.
The match was one of the most one-sided in the history of this event’s final. Zverev, a two-time Madrid champion, won just 23 points from 74 played. He earned zero break points. Sinner broke four times from four opportunities, never dropped his serve, and won the first five games – 20-5 on 25 points played – before Zverev had settled into the match.
Zverev “super sorry”
The German, who had been so dominant against Cobolli and Blockx in the previous two rounds, had no answer for the pace, precision and relentlessness of a player operating at the summit of his powers.
“Super sorry for the final”, he said to the crowd. “It was not my best day. But then of course congratulations to Jannik. You’re the best player in the world by far at the moment. Really no chance for most of the people, for us at the moment against you. Also to your team, you guys are doing an incredible job every single week. I hope one week, maybe at the French Open, have a break.”
The numbers from this tournament are not numbers that belong to tennis as it is usually played. Sinner has won 28 consecutive matches at Masters 1000 level, 56 of his last 58 sets at that level, and 45 of his last 47 matches overall.
Against Zverev, he has now won 13 consecutive sets and 65 consecutive service games.
Federer, Djokovic and Nadal never did that
“It’s a lot of work behind… a lot of dedication and sacrifice I put in every day”, Sinner said. “It means a lot to me. I’m very happy I continue to believe in myself, showing up every day.”
The record Sinner claimed had been set and held by Federer, Djokovic and Nadal in various combinations across their careers – no player had strung five Masters titles together consecutively since the series was established in 1990, and you can even add the ATP Finals won in November. Sinner adds Madrid to Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo. He is 24 years old.
Sinner has now won eight different Masters 1000 titles – something neither Federer nor Nadal ever achieved. One more stands between him and history: should he win in Rome in the coming fortnight, he would join Novak Djokovic as the only players to complete the Career Golden Masters, winning all nine events at least once.
With Alcaraz absent from Rome and Roland-Garros with a wrist injury, the clay swing ahead belongs entirely to him if he wants it.
