MONTE-CARLO, MONACO – APRIL 12: Jannik Sinner of Italy and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain pose for a photo with their winners and runners-up trophies after the Men’s Singles Final during day eight of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters at Monte-Carlo Country Club on April 12, 2026 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
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Jannik Sinner won his first clay-court ATP Masters 1000 trophy on Sunday and tied Novak Djokovic in the history books.
The 24-year-old Italian overcame rival Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(5), 6-3 to win the Monte-Carlo title in windy conditions and reclaim the world No. 1 ranking. He is the only man since Djokovic in 2015 to win the first three Masters 1000 titles in a calendar year: Indian Wells, Miami Open, and Monte-Carlo.
Sinner, who has claimed 22 straight Masters 1000 matches, has actually won four straight Masters 1000 titles dating to the Paris Masters last November.
Only Djokovic and Rafael Nadal had won four in a row before Sunday.
“We came here trying to get as many matches as possible, getting good feedback before other big tournaments coming up. Today was a high level from both of us,” Sinner said on court. “It was a bit windy, a bit breezy. Different conditions from what the tournament has brought. The result is amazing. Getting back to No. 1 means a lot for me… I am very happy to win a big title on this surface, I haven’t done it before and it means a lot to me.”
The Italian grabbed the first set in the tiebreak when Alcaraz struck a costly double fault set point down. The 24-year-old, who only made a season-low 51 per cent of his first serves, then rallied from 1-3 in the second set against an erratic Alcaraz, who struggled for large periods in the conditions.
“I felt close on the return games and felt the new balls helped me, the ball change was at 2-1, and I just tried to stay there mentally,” Sinner said. “I tried to keep pushing. I felt a bit tired, so I tried to keep the right mentality, so having this trophy means a lot to me.”
The last time Sinner lost a Masters 100 match was in Shanghai in October, when he retired against Tallon Griekspoor.
Alcaraz had won his past 17 clay-court matches, dating back to last season when he triumphed in Rome and at Roland Garros. The 26-time tour-level titlist beat Sinner in both of those finals, saving three championship points against the Italian in a historic clash in Paris.
Sinner improved to 2-3 in their rivalry on clay and 7-10 overall.
(The ATP contributed reporting.)
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
