Jannik Sinner completes Golden Masters

Jannik Sinner arrived in Rome with one gap left in his Masters 1000 résumé, and he left with it closed. The world No. 1 beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the Italian Open final on May 17 at the Foro Italico, according to the ATP Tour, completing the career Golden Masters by winning all nine ATP Masters 1000 events. That result put Sinner alongside Novak Djokovic as the only men to complete the set since the Masters 1000 series began in 1990, the ATP Tour said. It also made him the first Italian man to win Rome since Adriano Panatta in 1976. ### What exactly is the Golden Masters? The ATP Tour defines the career Golden Masters as winning all nine Masters 1000 tournaments at least once. (atptour.com) Those events are Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris. Novak Djokovic completed that collection in Cincinnati in 2018, and for years he was the only man to do it. (atptour.com) Sinner finished his own set in Rome, on home soil, after earlier Masters titles across hard court and clay. ### Why was Rome the missing piece? Rome was the last Masters 1000 title Sinner had not won before this week, ATP Tour coverage said. (atptour.com) The Italian had already collected trophies in Toronto, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris. The May 17 final gave him that final piece against Ruud in straight sets. (atptour.com) ATP’s stats page lists the match time at 1 hour, 45 minutes and the score at 6-4, 6-4. ### How significant was the Rome title on its own? Rome had not produced an Italian men’s singles champion since Adriano Panatta in 1976, according to ATP Tour and Roland-Garros coverage. (atptour.com) Sinner ended a 50-year wait by doing it in front of a home crowd. The ATP Tour also said the title was Sinner’s sixth consecutive Masters 1000 crown. (atptour.com) Roland-Garros’ official site said he now brings a run of 34 consecutive Masters 1000 match wins into Paris. ### Where does Casper Ruud fit into this result? Casper Ruud was trying to win the Rome title for the first time and entered the final seeking his first victory over Sinner, according to the ATP Tour’s pre-match preview. (atptour.com) The loss left Ruud short against a player who had already led their head-to-head series. The final itself was controlled by Sinner in two sets. ATP’s official match archive records no tiebreaks and a straight-sets finish, which underlined how little margin Ruud had in the championship match. ### What comes next in Paris? Roland-Garros qualifying began on May 18, and the French Open main draw starts on May 24 in Paris, according to Olympics.com and the tournament’s official site. (atptour.com) Sinner heads there after the Rome title with the No. 1 ranking and the latest Masters milestone already secured. (atptour.com) The next date to watch is May 21, when the Roland-Garros draw is scheduled to be made. That will set Sinner’s path at the year’s second Grand Slam. (rolandgarros.com 1) (rolandgarros.com 2)