Rome: Carlos Alcaraz won the Italian Open on Sunday after winning a row of defeats to Jannik Sinner, but he expects his rival to be “very dangerous” when Roland Garros recovers from a three-month doping ban.
Alcaraz defended against two fixed points late in the first set and then seized control in the tiebreak before winning 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, and he won fourth straight, surpassing the world’s No. 1 Sinner.
The Spaniard snapped up Sinner’s 26 wins, winning his first Rome title and the Seventh Masters 1000 title, denying the first male champion in Italy since Adriano Panatta in 1976.
Sunday’s showdown is likely to be the opening of the French Open final, with Sina and Alcalazzi splitting in the draw as the latter will be second on Monday.
Alcaraz, who beat Sinner in a five-set semifinal trip to the Roland Garros trophy 12 months ago, had little doubt that the Italian would once again be the main contender for the French capital.
“He was crazy at this level in this game,” Alkaraz said.
“I mean, what he did, it’s amazing. I mean, it’s something I have to respect.
“I’m pretty sure he’s going to get better. This week of practice, he’ll feel better. If he wins at Roland Garros and he goes further, I think he’ll feel much better.
“He will be a very dangerous player in Paris.”
Alcaraz won his third title of the season after he eventually ruled the Sinners and silenced over 10,000 fans squeezing into the Centre Stadium.
Espanyol claimed victory in the fourth final of the season and made it clear that he was close to entering the second-largest Grand Slam of the year.
“When I beat Jennik and won in Rome, I think the two things are mixed together, giving you a great confidence in Paris,” Alcalaz said.
“He is one of the best players in the world. It doesn’t matter if he quit the tour for three months. Every game he played is excellent. His numbers are there. He won almost every game he played.
“That’s why I’m more focused when I’m against him. If I don’t do my best, ten out of ten, it’s impossible to beat him.”
Alcaraz is the only one to beat the Sinners in the Tour finals since early 2024, when his Italian rivals began to rise to the top of men’s tennis and three Grand Slam titles.
The 22-year-old has an impressive clay court swing this season even with a thigh injury, giving him a chance to compete in the Madrid Open.
Alcaraz won his second Masters in Rome’s Championship of the Year in Rome and won the victory in Monte Carlo last month. He also made it to the finals in Barcelona.
Three months since his two tests of Clostebol traces last March, his runner-up in his first match in three months is still Sina’s first tournament, which remains a huge positive result, contaminated doping authorities by chance.
Sinner let two fixed points slip in Game 12 of the first set, which was the turning point of the game, and Alcaraz was shocked by the first three-pointer in the game.
Alcaraz then walked through the gears and won the first five games of the second game as he won his 19th professional title – with the level of painting of the sinner.
Despite Sinner’s encouraging rewards that led him to another in-depth match at Roland Garros, and despite his relative lack of competition practice, he has not competed since leaving the Australian Open Championship in January.
“(In general), I’m very happy with this game. It gives me a lot of confidence and can also play some good tennis in Paris,” Sina said.
“Three months later, this result means a lot to me.
“It’s certain that if we want to do good things in Paris, what we see today is what we have to improve today. I’m more than expected from everything.”
