Carlos Alcaraz ended Jannik Sinner’s dream of a home victory at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, securing his seventh ATP Masters 1000 title with a 7-6(5), 6-1 win in Rome.
The Spaniard halted Sinner’s 26-match winning streak, saving two set points in a tight first set before cruising through the second in 1 hour and 45 minutes to claim his 19th tour-level trophy and become the fifth player to win all three clay Masters 1000 titles.
Alcaraz now leads their ATP Head2Head 7-4 and was the stronger player when it mattered. Sinner wasn’t able to find his forehand as readily as he’d done in previous rounds, and although he’ll rue a missed backhand on set point at 6-5, 30/40 in the first set, Alcaraz always looked like he could go up an extra gear if he needed to.
A full recap, match stats, and highlights are below.
Day Twelve Italian Open 2025 Final Result
Winner
Loser
Scoreline
Carlos Alcaraz (3)
Jannik Sinner (1)
7-6(5)
Match Stats
Jannik Sinner
Carlos Alcaraz
Winners
7
18
Unforced Errors
31
32
Aces
1
4
Double Faults
3
2
1st Serve %
60% (35/58)
64% (48/75)
1st Serve Points Won
71% (25/35)
73% (35/48)
2nd Serve Points Won
43% (10/23)
59% (16/27)
Break Points Saved
33% (1/3)
100% (2/2)
Service Games
78% (7/9)
100% (10/10)
1st Return Points Won
27% (13/48)
29% (10/35)
2nd Return Points Won
41% (11/27)
57% (13/23)
Break Points Won
0% (0/2)
67% (2/3)
Return Games
0% (0/10)
22% (2/9)
Pressure Points
20% (1/5)
80% (4/5)
Service Points
60% (35/58)
68% (51/75)
Return Points
32% (24/75)
40% (23/58)
Net Points
17% (1/6)
100% (2/2)
Total Points
44% (59/133)
56% (74/133)
Match Points Saved
2
0
Max Points In A Row
4
7
Total Games
37% (7/19)
63% (12/19)
Max Games In A Row
1
7
Highlights
Thoughts on the Final
Despite most of the betting giving Jannik Sinner a 60% win chance, I thought Alcaraz would emerge victorious in Rome, and he delivered.
A lot of people got carried away with Sinner’s defeat of Ruud. Yes, Ruud is a good clay courter, but he’s a bit of a soy-type Norwegian whose game is tailor-made for the Italian. So while that performance was top-notch, it flattered Jannik, and he looked vulnerable against Cerundolo and Paul.
Based on that and the fact that Sinner looked to be feeling his leg on Friday, I thought Alcaraz could dominate physically.
Both players looked tight in the first set, and neither grabbed the bull by the horns or showed their best tennis.
Sinner made deuce in Alcaraz’s first two service games, but the Spaniard held the first break point in game four. He didn’t convert and then got in big trouble when serving at 5-6, only to come up with some steely focus to evade the break and hold after a 7-minute game.
In the tie break, Alcaraz got an immediate mini break and followed it up with two of his best serves of the match to forge a 3-0 lead.
Sinner recovered it after the change of ends but handed it straight back, giving Alcaraz a 5-3 lead. That was soon 6-4 with a set point on serve for Alcaraz, but Sinner saved it with a powerfully struck backhand to get back on serve.
Alcaraz then did a good job at returning a well-hit body serve, and after a short exchange from the baseline, he went down the line with a backhand and followed it in to produce a well-controlled backhand volley to snatch the set.
That completely put momentum in his favour, and in the second set, Alcaraz took charge. In the first game, he broke, winning 14 of the last 18 points en route to a 3-0 lead.
That was soon a double break for 4-0 when Sinner botched a volley and Alcaraz never looked back, serving it out to take the second set and title 6-1.
I thought Carlos did a super job staying focused throughout, and there were no lapses in concentration from him.
He also varied his shot height quite frequently, which stopped Sinner from finding much rhythm, and the Italian’s forehand didn’t click.
Whereas Ruud just dropped the ball right in the slot to get dispatched, Alcaraz mixed up the trajectory nicely to keep Sinner off balance.
No performance from him is complete without the forehand drop shot, which he also used to good effect, and he’s comfortably the strongest player on clay courts around at the moment.
I’m just really happy to get my first Rome Alcaraz Storms to Rome Title, hopefully it’s not going to be the last one. 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 today. Alcaraz on his win.
What did you think of the final? Let me know in the comments.
