Jannik Sinner wins Madrid, becomes first player ever to win five Masters 1000 titles in a row

Jannik Sinner has stormed past Alexander Zverev in 57 minutes, 6-1, 6-2, to win the Mutua Madrid Open for the first time in his career.

And with that victory he rewrites history, becoming the first player ever to win five Masters 1000 events in a row, not including missed events, since the Masters 1000 level of tournament began in 1990.

He was previously tied with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic for the record at four Masters 1000 titles in a row. Those two are the only other players to even win three Masters 1000 titles in a row.

MOST CONSECUTIVE MASTERS 1000 TITLES (since 1990):

• 5: Sinner ['25 Paris, '26 Indian Wells, '26 Miami, '26 Monte Carlo, '26 Madrid]
• 4: Nadal ['13 Madrid, '13 Rome, '13 Canada, '13 Cincinnati]
• 4: Djokovic ['13 Shanghai, '13 Paris, '14 Indian Wells, '14 Miami]
• 4: Djokovic ['14 Paris, '15 Indian Wells, '15 Miami, '15 Monte Carlo]
• 4: Djokovic ['15 Shanghai, '15 Paris, '16 Indian Wells, '16 Miami]

And there’s more.

Sinner has now won eight of the nine Masters 1000 events on the calendar, with Rome being the only one missing from his collection.

He’s just the third player ever to win eight different Masters 1000 events in their career, alongside Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Federer won seven of the nine current Masters 1000 events, only missing Monte Carlo and Rome, but he also won Hamburg three times when it was a Masters 1000 event (it was replaced at that level in 2009 when Madrid switched from indoor hard courts to clay).

Not only has Djokovic won all nine of the current Masters 1000 events (a Career Golden Masters), but he’s won them all twice each (a Double Career Golden Masters). Even more impressive? He’s one Monte Carlo title away from having won them all three times each!

Sinner could complete his own Career Golden Masters in Rome.

Sinner went into the championship match in Madrid with all kinds of momentum—not only had he won his last 27 matches in a row at Masters 1000 events, capturing the last four consecutive titles at this level, as mentioned above, but he had also won his last eight matches in a row against Zverev, as well as their last 12 sets in a row.

And he kept all of those streaks going on Sunday.

Sinner raced out to a 5-0 lead right out of the gates in less than 20 minutes before Zverev was able to hold to make it 5-1—he then served the first set out in the next game, blasting an ace on set point.

Zverev held to kick off the second set but Sinner reeled off another three games in a row for a 3-1 lead, and after one last Zverev hold for 3-2, the Italian won another three quick games to close it out, holding at love, breaking at 15 and serving the final out at love.

“I started the match very well, breaking straight away, but he was not playing his best tennis today,” Sinner said. “I just tried to get with the front foot ahead and I’m very happy about the level I’m playing.

“It’s incredible winning one more title like this. It obviously means a lot to me. This has been an incredible tournament.”

Zverev may not have come away with his third career Madrid title on Sunday, but he’s had arguably the second-best results at Masters 1000 events during this Sinner streak—the German is now 19-5 at this level since last October, going 0-5 against Sinner but 19-0 against everyone else, falling to the Italian in the semifinals of Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo and now in the final of Madrid.

He’s also putting some major distance between himself and the rest of the field for the No. 3 ranking—he’ll leave Madrid 1,105 ranking points ahead of the current No. 4, Novak Djokovic (5,805 to 4,700), which, given No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz’s absence due to a wrist injury, puts him in a very good spot for the second seed at Roland Garros, which would keep him away from No. 1 Sinner until the final.