Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in a chess-like two sets to win Rome, then offered him a very public welcome back

Jannik Sinner had come a long way in two weeks in front of his home fans.

In Rome, the men’s No. 1 player won his first match since being suspended in February. He found his A-game—and maybe went beyond it—in a 6-0, 6-1 demolition of Casper Ruud. He came back from a set down, and managed his way through a leg injury, against Tommy Paul. In the final he would have a chance to test himself against his rival Carlos Alcaraz, and become the first Italian man to win Rome since 1976. It was hard to ask for anything more than that.

Sinner’s progress continued through the first hour on Sunday. He held his own in a series of short, sharp, cerebral rallies with Alcaraz, using his serve, flattening out his forehand, and showing off some of his underrated flair—in the form of a perfect drop and a couple of leaping backhands—to reach 6-5.

In the next game Alcaraz cracked the door open, and Sinner looked ready to plow right through it. With the Spaniard saving at 15-30, Sinner jumped on a second serve and rushed Alcaraz into an error to reach double set point.

It turned, out, though, that Sinner wasn’t quite ready for this moment, after all. On the first set point, he missed a return he would normally make. On the second, he pulled the trigger another jumping backhand a shot too soon, when he was still well back in the court. He caught it late and sent it wide.

Alcaraz would hold and take a 3-0 lead in the ensuing tiebreaker. Sinner would scramble his way back to 5-6, before Alcaraz produced a moment of trademark balletic brilliance, hitting—of all shots—an inside-out backhand drop shot to close the first set. From there is was all Alcaraz, who won his .

“First set for sure was a little bit of a game-changer,” Sinner said later. “If I would go back, I would play a couple of points in a different way, that’s for sure. I’m lacking some matches.”

Read more: Carlos Alcaraz becomes first player to beat Jannik Sinner in straight sets since 2023

But Sinner also said there were no excuses, and he didn’t need any. He lost to a better player. Sinner’s comeback was the story of the men’s side until Sunday, but in the end it was Alcaraz, his first Rome title, and his form and focus heading into Roland Garros that were the most crucial results of the fortnight.

The 11th edition of Sinner-Alcaraz didn’t feature the extended supersonic rallies we’ve come to expect from these two. This match was a mix of short, slam-bang points and chess-like tactics.

If I would go back, I would play a couple of points in a different way, that’s for sure. I’m lacking some matches. Jannik Sinner

Alcaraz won it by sending Sinner wide with his serve, and using heavy spin and shape on his forehand—without going for broke—to push him around after that. There were very few of the wild swings on his ground strokes, and the wild swings in level, that we’ve come to expect from him.

His biggest strength was his defense. He held Sinner to seven winners in total, and just from his forehand side. At 4-0 in the second set, Alcaraz came up with a couple of his customary impossible sliding gets, and dropped a lob an inch from the baseline. All Sinner could do was smile as he walked to the sideline.

“I knew at the beginning, the matches against Jannik are always really tactical matches,” Alcaraz said. “I think today I started the match really well. Tactically since the beginning till the last ball, I didn’t lose the focus, which is great for me…I didn’t do a roller-coaster.

“Beating Jannik, winning in Rome, both things mixed together give you a great confidence coming into Paris.”

During the trophy ceremony, a smiling Sinner told Alcaraz he was the favorite now for Roland Garros. After the Spaniard’s titles in Monte Carlo and Rome, there’s no denying it. But it was what Alcaraz said about Sinner that may have been more memorable, and important for the ATP going forward.

“I can’t imagine how tough and difficult it was for you and your family,” Alcaraz said of Sinner’s suspension. “I’m not gonna get tired of saying what an amazing person, athlete you are, with your team. Working so hard every day to make this possible, to make your people proud.”

Since his failed doping test was announced last summer, Sinner has talked about the “glares” that he has received from some of his fellow players. In Rome, he said some of his colleagues had reached out during his suspension, and some hadn’t. Alcaraz admitted on Sunday that he was one of the ones who hadn’t.

“But it wasn’t about if I was agreed or not,” he said. “I mean, I was playing. I was in my feelings, as well.”

Now here he was, the sport’s biggest young star, going out of his way to embrace Sinner and support him in front of the world.

Both men got what they wanted from Rome. Alcaraz won his first title there, and put himself in pole position for Paris. Sinner got his clay legs back under him, and a high-profile welcome back into the ATP fold.