Sinner ends 50-year Italian wait for Rome title, completing Career Golden Masters with Ruud win
Jannik Sinner (No 1) beat Casper Ruud (No 13) 6-4, 6-4 to become the second man after Novak Djokovic to complete the Career Golden Masters. Sixth straight Masters 1000 title, 34 in a row at the level. Roland-Garros next.
Jannik Sinner, Rome 2026 | © Foto FITP
Top seed Jannik Sinner won his first Rome ATP Masters 1000 title with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Norwegian No. 13 seed Casper Ruud on Campo Centrale, the 105-minute final completing the Italian’s Career Golden Masters and ending the 50-year wait for a home men’s champion at the Foro Italico that has stretched back to Adriano Panatta in 1976.
It is Sinner’s sixth consecutive Masters 1000 title, his 34th straight match win at the level, his 29th in a row overall, and the only piece of silverware left to enter into a trophy case that now lacks only the Roland-Garros title and Olympic gold among the major prizes in the sport. Roland-Garros begins in a fortnight.
Sinner is the first man in history to win the first five ATP Masters 1000 events of a single season – Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome — pairing the Sunshine Double on hard with the clay-court triple of Monte-Carlo, Madrid and Rome in the same campaign. The last man to win all three clay Masters 1000 events in a season was Rafael Nadal in 2010.
Not every day is simple but I’m really really happy.
“This year was the 50th year since an Italian won…,” Sinner reacted. “I’m really really happy. Incredible last two and a half months… Trying to do the best I can. Not every day is simple but I’m really really happy.”
Ruud, who had reached the final having dropped only one set on his way through the draw, made the more decisive start. The Norwegian held to love and immediately broke for 2-0, and for a moment looked capable of forcing the Italian out of his rhythm. Sinner broke straight back at 1-2, holding the Norwegian in the backhand diagonal until the openings appeared. The match settled into a long sequence of holds from 2-2 to 4-4, the only contested game a deuce hold by Ruud at 3-4.
Ruud’s resistance
The decisive game arrived at 4-4. Sinner had earned two break points and converted on the second, sticking Ruud once again on the backhand wing where his groundstrokes lacked the depth to hurt the Italian. He served out the set to love on his first set point.
The numbers from the opener were as plain as the score. Sinner won 93% of points behind his first serve, losing only one of the 14 first deliveries he landed. The Norwegian hit more winners than the Italian (10 to 6) but had no chance of using them on Sinner’s service games.
Career Golden Masters at 24
The second set turned on the very first game. Sinner broke Ruud immediately, consolidated to love for 2-0, and from there it was a controlled procession. Ruud saved a break point at 2-0 to stay in touch and traded holds with Sinner through to 5-3. Sinner saved a break point of his own at 4-3 – the only one he faced in the second set – and served out the match to love on his first match point. Three points, no drama, title.
The second-set numbers were even more lopsided. Sinner finished the set with 16 winners against five unforced errors. Ruud had 12 winners and eight errors but no real entry point onto Sinner’s serve.
The achievements stack up. Sinner becomes the second man in history after Novak Djokovic to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 events, completing the Career Golden Masters at 24. Djokovic was 31 when he was the first to achieve feat.
The ceremony was presented by Panatta himself. The trophy passed from the last Italian to win Rome to the next.
