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Mumbai: Over the past couple of weeks in Rome, all the spotlight was well and truly on one man. Of his sold-out pre-tournament training session; of his meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican; of his dismantling a top 10 opponent as if it were child’s play.
Italian world No.1 Jannik Sinner, returning to tennis after a pause, was at the front and centre of every conversation in his home tournament. There was another player making a comeback, though. Not from a three-month doping suspension, but from a month-long injury-enforced time off.
Flying under the radar on his comeback trail, Carlos Alcaraz pipped Sinner to the finish line of the Rome Masters after emerging a 7-6(6), 6-2 winner in the final on Sunday. The riveting rivalry of tennis’ two superstars of this generation sparkled through the first set before Sinner began to fade away.
This was the first meeting between the two this year and the 22-year-old Alcaraz showed why, on clay and against the 23-year-old Sinner, he’s still the man to beat. The Spaniard extended his head-to-head edge over the Italian to 7-4, and has now beaten him four consecutive times. That includes the semi-final of last year’s French Open where Alcaraz will head next, for the tournament starting May 25 as the defending champion and, without a doubt now, the big favourite.
“Beating Jannik, winning in Rome… it gives you a great confidence coming into Paris,” Alcaraz said after the win.
That confidence was important for Alcaraz, who had shown great form on clay by winning the Monte Carlo Masters and reaching the Barcelona Open final. But Alcaraz had to pull out of the Madrid Masters after doing some damage to his hamstring and groin during the final in Barcelona.
One month on, Alcaraz was back to winning trophies on clay.
A solid start by the finalists underlined the first set that stretched to 70 minutes and asked questions of both players. Alcaraz banked on his big forehands to dictate rallies, Sinner cashed in on the susceptible second serves.
Alcaraz’s opening two service games were taken to deuce before the Spaniard managed to wriggle out of it. Now the forehand-flaunting Alcaraz took Sinner to deuce, and even got the Italian to save a break point and the service game for 3-2.
So baseline-heavy were the exchanges that it took a good half-hour for the otherwise enterprising Alcaraz to bring out a drop shot winner. So neck and neck was the battle that a point later, Sinner came out on top of a dropping, sliding duel.
The deuce duels made way for love holds by either player as they split five games apiece. Serving to stay in the set, Alcaraz littered a string of errors before cleaning it up just in time to wipe off a couple of set points. Sinner had him on the ropes, yet Alcaraz managed to cling on.
Soon, he marched ahead in the tiebreaker after a couple of aces. Sinner did his bit in staying within touching distance of his opponent, but after a forehand winner and a brilliantly constructed point nailed with a fine volley at the net, Alcaraz had smacked the first punch.
It felt like a knockout blow for Sinner. The world No.1 had turned the tide after being blown away in the first set of his semi-final against Tommy Paul. Alcaraz was no Paul, though. And this was not that Sinner.
After a hold from 0-30, Alcaraz broke Sinner to love and pocketed 14 of the 18 points to sprint to a 3-0 lead. To go with that forehand, Alcaraz was also shooting backhand down the line winners now. Sinner looked out of gas, and after missing a simple volley at the net to hand a double break, was soon down for the count.
Alcaraz sure is up and running again leading into the French Open.
