The more Jannik Sinner and Elina Svitolina were stressed in Rome, the sharper they became

In their finals on Saturday and Sunday, Elina Svitolina and Jannik Sinner each managed to encapsulate their two-week Rome title runs with one late-match moment of brilliance.

Svitolina’s came when she was up 4-2 in the third against Coco Gauff and trying to clinch an insurance break. Gauff took control of a rally, began moving Svitolina from one sideline to the other, and seemed to have the point won. But Svitolina did what she’d being doing throughout the tournament: She scrambled with maximum determination, first tracking down a backhand, then crossing the court to get a forehand, and then crossing the court again, just in time to fire a backhand pass from outside the doubles alley for a jolting, crowd-pleasing winner.

It was exactly the type of willful desperation, combined with unflagging energy, that had helped Svitolina to three-set wins over No. 3 seed Iga Swiatek, No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina, and, a few minutes later, the fourth-seeded Gauff.

“It’s just the fighting spirit that I have,” Svitolina, 31, said after her 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2 win, which gave her a third title in Rome, eight years after her last one. “I try to bring it in the important moments. Sometimes when your opponent is playing great, you need to be ready for fighting.”

Sinner’s moment of characteristic brilliance also happened late in the second set of his win over Casper Ruud on Sunday. The Italian was serving at a nerve-wracking juncture: 4-3, 30-30, six tantalizing points from his first title at his national tournament.

Ruud, with little to lose at that stage, pummeled his forehand return and put Sinner on the defensive. From there, Ruud pressed his advantage with another strong forehand, and moved inside the baseline, anticipating a short reply. But that’s not what he got. Instead, Sinner pummeled his forehand back so fast and deep that it caught Ruud in no-man’s land. From there, Sinner worked himself from defense to offense, and finished the rally with an inside-out forehand winner.

This was Sinner in a nutshell during his run of five straight Masters 1000 titles this spring. Early on against Ruud, he was tight; he cautiously sent the ball into the middle of the court, and went down 0-2. But when he needed to have his best, he found it. By the time it was 4-3 in the second set, he was confident enough to stun Ruud by going from retreat to attack in a single swing. The more he’s stressed, the sharper he gets.

Afterward, Sinner acknowledged the nerves that came with gunning for multiple historic accomplishments on the same day. He was trying to become the first Italian man to win Rome since Adriano Panatta in 1976; to become the second player, after Novak Djokovic, to win all nine ATP Masters 1000s; to break Djokovic’s record for consecutive Masters wins with six; to extend his current win streak to 29; and to maintain his aura of inevitability as he headed to Roland Garros.

“This was the 50th year since an Italian won,” a relieved Sinner said after his 6-4, 6-4 win. “There was a lot of tension on both sides, it was not perfect tennis from both of us, but I’m really happy. An incredible past two and a half months. I try to put myself in the best possible position every time and do the best I can. Not every day is simple.”

If Rome had been a horse race, we might say that Sinner won wire to wire, while Svitolina started the homestretch in the middle of the pack before making a late charge and passing all of the betting favorites. Sinner began building his momentum all the way back in Indian Wells in March. Svitolina, meanwhile, started to make her move after her early loss in Madrid, when she went home, tuned the tour out, and focused on improving her game.

Getting in a mid-year training block has always been difficult for players to do, but Svitolina took advantage of the time that the expanded 1000s gave her. You could see the result in the pace of her forehand, her speed around the court, and her hunger, which looked more like that of a rookie than a 15-year veteran.

“It was important to prioritize my fitness, my kind of strength, because in such a busy schedule, don’t have so much time to train physically,” Svitolina said. “I really had a good eight days of training. Completely switched off from tennis. I think I feel more refreshed.”

Sinner, by contrast, has hardly had a day away from competition since the start of March. The only question mark for him in Rome was the state of his health. We’ve seen him cramp in high heat in the past, but on a few occasions this past week he was gasping for breath in moderate conditions, after a fairly short amount of time on court.

“I had to fight very, very hard,” Sinner said of his three-set win over Daniil Medvedev in a semifinal where he struggled with his fitness. “I knew before the match it could be very physical. First set I played really well, then the conditions became very, very heavy. It was tough to get through.”

An incredible past two and a half months. I try to put myself in the best possible position every time and do the best I can. Not every day is simple. Jannik Sinner

On Sunday, he made sure to give a shout-out to his trainers.

“Physically very very tough, big thanks to my physical team, I’ve had with me all year long, trying to keep up my body,” Sinner said. “They’re as important as the tennis coaches”

Sinner’s health won’t keep him being the overwhelming favorite as the sport moves to Paris next week. But it will certainly be something to watch as he negotiates best-of-five in weather that will likely get warmer.

Svitolina, even with her homestretch charge in Rome, hasn’t quite put herself in pole position for Roland Garros. I’d say Aryna Sabalenka and the three women she beat in Rome—Swiatek, Rybakina, and Gauff—are still the favorites. Unlike all of them, Svitolina has never made a Slam final. But she’s a five-time quarterfinalist in Paris, and if she can transfer her energy from Rome to Roland Garros, she could be capable of anything.

Whatever happens ahead, in Rome, when their opponents asked for their best, the Italian and the Ukrainian gave it to them.