Jannik Sinner produced a masterclass of controlled, clinical tennis on 3 May to dismantle Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 in just 57 minutes and win the Madrid Open for the first time, claiming a record fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title in the process.
The world number one’s winning streak now stands at 23 matches, and his dominance over Zverev extended to nine successive victories, with the German unable to offer anything approaching a genuine challenge on the day.
Only Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic had previously managed to win four Masters titles in a row. Sinner has now surpassed even that benchmark, adding the Madrid crown to his victories in Paris last year and Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo in 2026. The 24-year-old four-time Grand Slam winner is operating in a sphere of his own.
Sinner wasted no time in establishing his authority. He broke Zverev’s opening service game and consolidated immediately to race into a 3-0 lead. Another break followed, and Sinner was suddenly 5-0 up with Zverev yet to hold serve. The German finally secured a hold in the sixth game, but there was little he could do against an opponent serving with such power and precision.
Sinner’s variety added another dimension to his performance. A deft drop shot left Zverev scrambling before the Italian closed out the first set with an ace, sending a clear message about the gulf between the two players on the day.
Zverev, a two-time Madrid champion who typically thrives at altitude, showed considerably more fight in the second set. He was sharper and more competitive than he had managed in the first, but it was not enough to stem the tide. Sinner broke in the third game of the second set to tighten his grip, hammered a forehand winner to move 5-2 ahead and then served out the championship to love, wrapping up a fortnight in Madrid in which nobody had come remotely close to troubling him.
With world number two Carlos Alcaraz sidelined by a wrist injury, Sinner now enters the clay court season’s biggest prize at Roland Garros without a realistic rival in sight. If his form in Madrid is any indication, the rest of the field will need something extraordinary to stop him.
