Carlos Alcaraz finally has toughest adversary back but dominates Jannik Sinner

Telegraph

18-05-2025

Finally, someone has beaten world No 1 Jannik Sinner. Almost inevitably, the man to do it was Sinner's great rival and fellow tennis giant Carlos Alcaraz, who has now extended his lead in their head-to-head meetings to 7-4.
Before this final in Rome – which saw Alcaraz assert growing dominance in his 7-6, 6-1 victory – Sinner had been on a 26-match winning streak. He had not been beaten since his previous encounter with Alcaraz, which came in Beijing more than seven months ago.
If seven months seems an awfully long time, we should not forget that this spell was extended by the three-month doping ban which Sinner's team agreed with the World Anti-Doping Agency, as a result of his positive tests for Clostebol, a banned steroid.
Sinner, 23, only returned to competition just over a week ago against Mariano Navone, showing few ill-effects from his lengthy absence from the match court. Building day by day, he delivered the highest-rated performance of the season, according to the ATP's number-crunchers, in the quarter-final against Casper Ruud, and seemed to have slotted back into his former dominance without a hiccup.
But Alcaraz – who has now won all four of their meetings in the last 19 months – was always going to be a different proposition to the rest of the field. These two men have parcelled out the last five slams between them, with Sinner claiming all three of the hard-court events while Alcaraz took last year's French Open and Wimbledon.
In this match, neither man managed to find his best rhythm in a slightly tentative first set. For Alcaraz, 22, there may have been a feeling of pressure, as he probably thought he ought to be beating a man who has played so little tennis this year. For Sinner, the exertions of the five wins he has claimed in the past week, which always feel different to training, may have been catching up on him.
The key moment came when Alcaraz managed to wriggle out of two break points – which were also set points – while serving at 4-5 down. Then he got his own chance to go a set up while leading 6-5 in the tie-break. At this stage, he finally released the handbrake and came charging in behind a big backhand, producing a wonderful drop-volley while on a dead run.
Magic on set point 💫
Inside Campo Centrale as @carlosalcaraz seals the opener vs Sinner! pic.twitter.com/6WBgy8mmqV
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 18, 2025
Now that Alcaraz had the first set in the bag, he relaxed and began distributing play in the way only he can. The huge forehands, the subtle drop-shots and the impossible retrievals: they were all on show as he sprinted for the finish line.
Absolutely flying ⚡ @carlosalcaraz takes the lead in the 2nd set, winning 14 of the last 18 points! #IBI25 pic.twitter.com/SHRzjMh2SF
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 18, 2025
At the end of the match, Sinner gave his rival a warm smile and a hearty embrace. For him, this week will still feel like a major positive. He made a run to the final from a standing start and will be confident of putting up a better fight if he should come up against Alcaraz again in the French Open final in three weeks' time.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz is probably the one player who will be glad about Sinner's return. He has not performed badly at all during the three-month interregnum, winning titles in Rotterdam and Monte Carlo. And yet, at the same time, he has looked slightly out of sorts, losing matches to Jiri Lehecka, Jack Draper and – most unexpectedly – 34-year-old David Goffin.