Jannik Sinner claimed the 2026 Italian Open men’s singles title with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Casper Ruud on May 17 in Rome. The win made Sinner the second man in history after Novak Djokovic to complete the ATP Masters 1000 Golden Masters by winning all nine ATP Masters events during his career [1, 2, 3, 4].

At just 24 years old, Sinner extended his unprecedented winning streak at Masters 1000 tournaments to 34 consecutive matches, surpassing Djokovic’s previous record of 31 wins. He first matched Djokovic’s record on May 12 by beating Andrea Pellegrino, then broke it on May 14 with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals [5, 6, 7, 8].

In the rain-interrupted semifinals on May 16, Sinner outlasted Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 after resuming play. Sinner said after the match, "A tough challenge, to be honest. During the night, usually I never struggle to sleep. This night was not easy... I'm very happy how I handled the situation." [9, 10, 11]

Sinner’s victory was historic for Italy as well, becoming the first Italian man to win the Rome Masters singles title since Adriano Panatta in 1976, ending a 50-year drought on home soil [1, 2]. Prior to Rome, Sinner had won five consecutive Masters 1000 titles in 2026 at Paris, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid, bringing his total to six in a row this year [5, 8, 11, 1].

Ruud, who reached his first Italian Open final by defeating Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1 on May 16, acknowledged Sinner’s edge under pressure. "It was his first [Masters final] so you try to use that experience to your advantage," Ruud said. "He was maybe a little bit stressed, a little bit nervous of the occasion... I tried to stay focused." [9, 10]

Former player Tim Henman praised Sinner’s achievement saying, "With the level of competition, the physical and mental demands, changing surfaces, travelling the world, winning all these matches is incredible. It emphasises how complete a player Sinner is." [3]

At the 2026 Italian Open women’s tournament, Elina Svitolina won the singles title by defeating Coco Gauff on May 16. Svitolina reflected on the victory, saying, "It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since I had this trophy here... Congratulations to Coco for a great tournament." [1]

In the doubles, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori became the first Italian pair in 66 years to win the men’s doubles title at Rome [2].

Following his landmark victory in Rome, Sinner arrived as a strong favorite for the 2026 French Open starting May 24. He aims to complete his career Grand Slam in Paris with the absence of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz due to injury [8, 12].