Alcaraz thrilled to avoid 'rollercoaster' in Italian Open triumph

Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 in Rome, snapping the Italian's 26-match winning streak by beating the home favourite, and earning a seventh ATP Masters 1000 title.

In doing so, he became one of only three players to win eight of his first 10 ATP finals against top-five opponents, after Roger Federer (10-0) and Lleyton Hewitt (8-2).

At 22 years and two days old, Alcaraz is also the fifth-youngest player in the Open Era to win 10 or more ATP titles on clay, after Mats Wilander, Rafael Nadal, Kent Carlsson and Bjorn Borg.

"I'm just really happy to get my first Rome [title], hopefully it's not going to be the last one," said Alcaraz.

"The first thing I want to say is that I'm just really happy to see Jannik back at this amazing level. I'm sure it wasn't easy for him coming back after three months and making the final of a Masters 1000 in his first tournament [back]. It's something insane, so I have to congratulate him.

"I'm proud of myself with the way I approached the match mentally. Tactically, I think I played pretty well from the first point until the last one.

"I didn't do a rollercoaster… I maintained my good level throughout the whole match, so I'm really proud about everything I did."

VENI, VIDI, VICI @carlosalcaraz snaps Sinner's 26-match winning streak, 7-6(5) 6-1 to capture his first title in Rome!@InteBNLdItalia | #IBI25 pic.twitter.com/xlbVCAcN3x

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 18, 2025

The Italian Open was Sinner's first tournament since returning from a three-match doping ban, with the 23-year-old dropping just one set en route to the showpiece match.

On his return, he became the third Italian player to reach the men's singles final at this event, and the first since Adriano Panatta in 1978.

He earned five victories in Rome, with this his first competition since his Australian Open triumph in January, and Sinner was happy with his performance ahead of the French Open.

"First set for sure was a little bit of a game-changer. But talking generally, I am] very happy about this tournament," Sinner said.

"It gives me hopefully confidence to play some good tennis also in Paris. Let's see what's coming out there.

"But after three months, coming here, making this result means a lot to me, a lot to my team also. We worked a lot to be here. Happy also with my family and everything."