Jannik Sinner punched his ticket for another ATP record with a 6-4, 6-4 title defeat of Casper Ruud to win the Rome Masters on Sunday, a feat which vaulted him even deeper into the game’s elite.

The Italian took a firmer grip on his world No. 1 ranking while becoming only the second man after Novak Djokovic to win a matched set of all nine Masters titles.

It took the 24-year-old only three years to accomplish that mark; it took Djokovic until age 31 to do the same.

Sinner also becomes the first Italian since Adriano Panatta in 1976 to lift the home trophy at the Foro Italico.

The four-time Grand Slam champion finished off his one and three-quarter hour defeat of Ruud with a forehand cross-court winner to the corner which the Norwegian could not handle.

The full-house Campo Centrale crowd erupted as their local hero sealed the deal.

“I’m really, really happy, there was a lot of tension (over the past few days,” the winner said after getting through some apparent physical issues in the previous two rounds.

“It was not perfect tennis from either of us today, but I’m incredibly happy. It’s been an amazing two and a half months for me.”

Sinner has claimed titles at the last all six Masters events he has played, starting last November when he won the Paris Indoors.

He then ran off five on the spin in 2026: Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and now Rome. 

“I try to come out and do my best every day,” Sinner said. “And not every day is simple.”

The Italian credited his fitness team for helping him through the tough circumstances of this weather-hit week in Rome.

 “I had some very physical and tough matches. I have to thank my physical eam for trying to keep up my body.

“They are as important as the coaches.”

Sinner joins Djokovic (2018) and Rafael Nadal (2010) as the only players to win all three ATP Masters 1000 titles on clay in a season following his title wins in Monte-Carlo and Madrid – and Rome.

Sinner has now won 29 straight matches this season and has compiled 34 in a row at the Masters level dating to Paris four months ago.

He goes into the Roland Garros in a week as heavy favourite after winning Rome for the first time following his 2025 finals defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.

Elina Svitolina fought off Coco Gauff to hand the American a second straight loss in a final of the Rome Masters with the winner claiming a moral victory for Ukraine 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2.on Saturday.

The defeat in more than two and three-quarter hours was the second in a row here for Gauff, who was defeated by Jasmine Paolini in the 2025 final.

Svitolina joins Iga Swiatek as a three-time champion at the Foro Italico after her fighting win. Chris Evert holds the all-time record of five Rome titles.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since I held this trophy,” Svitolina said. “I’m pleased with the weeks here.

“It was tough to lose the Dubai final (February), I was hoping to have a round number of trophies (now 20). 

“I want to thank the people back in Ukraine who have been supporting me. It’s been really heavy (drone attacks) for the past few weeks there. I feel all the love.”

 Svitolina staged a comeback in the third set, breaking reigning Roland Garros champion Gauff twice  but needing three match points to get the job done as she put a volley into the empty court past the American.

 Svitlona last won the Foro Italico trophy in 2018 after also triumphing the year before. She and Gauff have met three times this season, with the Ukrainian mother of one claiming the 2026 victory hat-trick in the series.

Gauff was competing in her second final of the season after losing in Miami to world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

Svitolina has been on fire over the past 72 hours in Rome, defeating top four rivals Elena Rybakina and Swiatek in her previous two matches.

The Ukrainian won the Auckland ittle during the first week of the year.

Gauf is already looking ahead to her French Open title defence starting next Sunday in Paris.

“I could have played better in some moments today, I feel the momentum going into Paris.

“There were lessons learned from this match, we keep going.”

Jannik Sinner showed a few cracks after a month of clay tennis , with the Italian overcoming a possible leg niggle on “Thursday in a 6-2, 6-4 quarter-final defeat of Andrey Rublev at the Rome Masters.

The World No. 1 set a new all-time mark of 32 wins at the Masters level, one more than Novak Djiokovic.

The 24 Italian is two victories away from another record, five straight titles at Masters level. dating back to Paris Indoors last November.

But the wear and tear of the sport may be taking a toll, with Sinner favouring his upper right leg late in the match while leading a set and a break.