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The 2026 Italian Open women’s singles draw is out, and Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Alex Eala and Emma Raducanu could be involved in some intriguing early matchups.

Main draw WTA action in Rome will get underway on Tuesday 5 May, and it will conclude with the final on Saturday 16 May.

This will be the 83rd edition of the prestigious tournament at the Foro Italico, which is the second clay-court WTA 1000 of the season after the Madrid Open.

Jasmine Paolini is the defending champion, having beaten Coco Gauff in last year’s championship match.

The draw features 96 players, including 32 seeds, who receive an opening round bye. The top eight seeds are: Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Elina Svitolina and Mirra Andreeva.

WTA Italian Open draw

World No 1 Sabalenka will face either Barbora Krejcikova or Elsa Jacquemot in her opening match before a potential third round meeting with 26th seed Sorana Cirstea.

The Belarusian could then meet either 13th seed Linda Noskova or 18th seed Clara Tauson in the fourth round, while she is projected to meet No 6 seed Anisimova in the quarter-finals.

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Third seed Gauff will play either Yulia Putintseva or Tereza Valentova in her first match before a possible third round clash with No 27 seed Emma Raducanu.

The American could then take on 16th seed Iva Jovic in the last 16 before a potential quarter-final matchup with either No 8 seed Andreeva or No 9 seed Paolini.

Raducanu, who is playing her first event since Indian Wells, will start her campaign in the second round against Solana Sierra or a qualifier.

In the top quarter of the bottom half of the draw, fourth seed Swiatek and fifth seed Pegula are projected to face off in the quarter-finals.

Swiatek will play Caty McNally or Daria Kasatkina in her first match and could meet 28th seed Emma Navarro in the third round and 15th seed Naomi Osaka in the fourth round.

No 2 seed Rybakina will start her tournament against either Maria Sakkari or a qualifier, and she could play 31st seed Wang Xinyu, Alex Eala or Magdalena Frech in the third round. Eala and Frech will face off in the first round.

Rybakina is projected to face 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova or 23rd seed Marta Kostyuk in the last 16, before a possible quarter-final clash with Svitolina.

WTA Italian Open projected quarter-finals

• Aryna Sabalenka (1) vs Amanda Anisimova (6)
• Coco Gauff (3) vs Mirra Andreeva (8)
• Jessica Pegula (5) vs Iga Swiatek (4)
• Elina Svitolina (7) vs Elena Rybakina (2)

READ NEXT: Alexander Zverev’s big apology, Jannik Sinner breaks a new record and Marta Kostyuk’s candid advice

The post WTA Italian Open draw: Gauff-Raducanu clash on cards; Eala could play Rybakina; Sabalenka, Swiatek learn fate appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner’s brutally one-sided win against Alexander Zverev in the Madrid Open final confirmed the world No 1 is a long way ahead of his nearest rival right now, with humbled finalist Alexander Zverev offering up some candid comments after his 6-1, 6-2 battering.

Sinner won his first Madrid Open title in predictable fashion and if he can now add the Italian Open title in Rome to his collection in a tournament that gets underway next week, he will join Novak Djokovic as the only player to win all nine of the ATP Tour’s marquee events.

Zverev looked beaten early in the match and if it were a boxing contest, it would have been called off long before the end.

Make no mistake, this was a worrying day for the men’s game as the gap Sinner appears to have opened up on all his rivals in the absence of the injured Carlos Alcaraz suggests he could dominate the game until the Spaniard recovers from his wrist injury.

Could it get boring if Sinner wins tournaments with this level of ease?

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The answer to that question has to be in the affirmative and Zverev felt the need to offer an apology to the Madrid fans who offered a muted reaction to a final that came to an end in less than an hour.

“First of all super sorry for the final. It was not my best day,” said Zverev in his on court interview.

“Then, of course, congratulations to Jannik. Best player in the world by far at the moment.

“Really, no chance for most of the people, for us at the moment against you. Also, to your team, you guys are doing an incredible job every single week. Maybe at the French Open, have a break.”

Zverev already lacked belief that he could compete with Sinner and this mauling will add to his negative mindset against the world No 1, with the Italian now an even stronger favourite to win his first French Open title next month after his dismantling of the player who will be the second seed at Roland Garros.

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This latest win for Sinner ensured he became the first man in tennis history to win five straight ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, with his stunning run starting in Paris at the back end of 2025.

He has backed that up by winning at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and now Madrid, with Sinner suggesting his preparation was a key to his latest success.

“I think you win matches before matches,” Sinner told Sky Sports. “I try to put the right preparations in and I’m very careful about what I put in my body.

“When I’m serving well in fast conditions like this, it helps. Starting with a break up right away against Sashca is a good start.

“He didn’t play his best and was a bit tired, but I played well.”

Sinner will now head off to Rome to entertain his home fans, with the ease of this latest Masters 1000 title success helping him to head back to his homeland without putting too much strain on his weary body after a hectic few months of relentless success.

READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner ‘may be risking injury’ if he presses ahead with his plans to play in Rome

The post Alexander Zverev issues ‘super sorry’ apology after embarrassing Madrid Open hammering against Jannik Sinner appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner’s relentless march through all his rivals is showing no sign of slowing down, with his win against Alexander Zverev ensuring he became the first player to win the first four ATP Masters 1000 tournaments at the start of a tennis season.

Sinner backed up his wins in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo with a brutally clinical display to beat No 2 seed Zverev 6-1, 6-2 in less than an hour, with the manner of his triumph likely to be a point of alarm for many.

We already knew that Sinner and his great rival Carlos Alcaraz were several steps ahead of their rivals, but the gap between Sinner and the rest is now being exposed graphically in the absence of the Spanish superstar.

Sinner is so far ahead of his rivals that it appears injury or illness is all that can stop him from dominating until Alcaraz returns and that is not a healthy place for the men’s game to find itself.

The victory in the Spanish capital cemented Sinner’s already dominant position at the top of the ATP Rankings and ensured he will be the outstanding favourite to win his first French Open title at Roland Garros when that tournament gets underway later this month.

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Sinner collected 1,000 ranking points for his win at the Madrid Open and as he missed this tournament last year due to a doping suspension, they are fresh points added to his rolling 52-week total.

Money is not the motivating factor for a player who had already collected $62,321,898 prior to the Madrid Open, but he has now added another €1,007,165 to his prize money total.

That figure is the same amount Marta Kostyuk won for her victory in the women’s singles tournament in Madrid, with the figure representing an increase of 2.25% compared to the money collected by Casper Ruud and Aryna Sabalenka after their wins in 2025.

Sinner’s overall prize money figure will be substantially boosted by fees from exhibition events, with his two victories at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia over the last couple of years giving him around $12million.

He also has highly lucrative deals in place with a long list of sponsors, with Nike, Gucci, Rolex and Lavazza among his backers.

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Sinner will now head off to Rome to play in front of his home fans at the Italian Open, with Zverev also on his way to the Italian capital after his return to form continued with his run to the final in Madrid.

He collected €535,585 in prize money from this event and will look to close the gap on Alcaraz for the world No 2 ranking over the next few weeks, with the Spanish star missing the Italian Open and French Open due to a wrist injury.

On the evidence of his latest mismatch against Sinner, Zverev has little or no chance of troubling the Italian any time soon.

It also appears that world No 1 Sinner has a clear path to French Open glory when he gets to Roland Garros later this month.

READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner gives Italian Open update after ‘tired’ admission at Madrid Open

The post Madrid Open: Jannik Sinner’s prize money and ranking points after clinical victory appeared first on Tennis365.

Marta Kostyuk has the talent to become one of the big superstars of tennis over the next few weeks and the time has come for the Ukrainian to believe she deserves to be at the top.

Her first WTA 1000 title at the Madrid Open may be seen as overdue for a player who has long been tipped to scale the heights in the game, but may have lacked the mental strength required to become a champion.

Kostyuk may be the best mover on a tennis court in all of women’s tennis, with her greatest strength coming to the fore during her hugely impressive run in Madrid.

Her ability to get the ball back into play when she appeared to be out of points was a recurring theme throughout her run in Madrid, with his ball striking so impressively when the moment came to strike.

The way she closed out her final against Mirra Andreeva to win the biggest title of her career was evidence that her reputation for being crippled by nerves in big moments can be controlled and the confidence she needs to take from her breakthrough win needs to be the springboard for so much more.

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She might not entirely believe this sentiment, but Kostyuk is a now big contender to win her first Grand Slam title at the French Open and she needs to take inspiration from her performances in Madrid when she lands at Roland Garros later this month.

In the past, she hasn’t always had that mental strength to push for victory, but maybe the time has now come for Kostyuk to go to the next level.

Her widely misinterpreted exclusive interview with Tennis365 in Wuhan last year included comments that admitted she felt some of her opponents were “bigger and stronger” than her highlighted a mindset when she takes on players like Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek, but the truth is Kostyuk has an athleticism that is more than good enough to match the best in women’s tennis.

Add in some winning confidence to the weapons she has at her disposal and she will be a threat to win on any surface, with her comments after her win in Madrid highlighting her desire to ensure the big win in Madrid is the start of a new chapter in her story.

“It took me many years to reach this point, and one word I think about right now is consistency,” said Kostyuk after her win in Madrid, in a post-match speech where she also admitted she had come close to giving up tennis on numerous occasions.

“It’s showing up every day, no matter how hard it is, no matter how much you love or hate what you do.

“I’ve been doing that really well the past few years, I think, so I’m very proud of myself and my team.”

Kostyuk will rise to No 15 in the WTA Rankings after her Madrid Open triumph and she has to look at what she had produced in this tournament and accept that she belongs in the top 10 and among the contenders for all the big titles.

If this triumph doesn’t encourage her to embrace her position as one of the best players and shining stars of women’s tennis, nothing will.

Yet her press conference in Madrid suggested her ambitions, especially when it comes to her ranking, is a little more modest.

“I don’t focus on the rankings. My goal, not even my goal, but I was, I would be very happy if I finished clay court season in top 20,” she added.

“I didn’t think about, you know, a specific number or anything. I just wanted to be as consistent as possible. I didn’t think about it.

“I still don’t think about the ranking, because ranking is just a consequence of what you do on the court. Yeah, nothing changes.

“Probably I’ll get a bit better draws, but, you know, at the end, all the players are super solid and really good. So I don’t focus on that. As I said, I just want to keep working and enjoying.”

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It’s time to believe you belong at the top Marta, as your win in Madrid banishes the theory that you cannot match the best physically and mentally when it matters most.

READ NEXT: What Marta Kostyuk and Mirra Andreeva said after Madrid Open final

The post Madrid Open: Marta Kostyuk needs to erase the major factor holding her back after breakthrough win appeared first on Tennis365.

The Italian Open marks the second leg of the WTA 1000 clay swing and Jasmine Paolini and Coco Gauff have a lot of points on the spell while Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek are in good positions.

The Madrid Open is the first leg of the WTA 1000 red dirt campaign and that came to a conclusion on Saturday with Marta Kostyuk defeating Mirra Andreeva to win her first trophy at this level.

But there is no time to rest as the Italian event starts on 5 May, although the seeded players will all have byes into the second round.

World No 1 Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed and Rybakina, Gauff, Swiatek, Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Elina Svitolina, Mirra Andreeva, Jasmine Paolini and Victoria Mboko complete the top 10.

New Madrid Open champion Kostyuk has climbed to a new career-high of No 15 in the WTA Rankings, but the cutoff date for the Rome seedings was Monday, 20 April so she will be seeded 23rd.

Points The Big Names Will Drop In Rome

Players have to defend points from corresponding periods/tournaments 12 months ago as the WTA uses a rolling 52-week cumulative system to determine the rankings.

Those points are removed at the start of a tournament and players then earn points for their round-by-round progression at the event.

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Jasmine Paolini – 1,000

The defending Italian Open champion has slipped to No 9 in the official rankings, but she is in danger of dropping out of the top 10 if she fails to reach the latter stages of the 2026 edition.

Coco Gauff – 650

The American lost third place in the rankings to Swiatek after the Madrid Open and she could fall further behind as she has a lot of points to defend after finishing runner-up to Paolini last year.

Zheng Qinwen/Peyteon Stearns – 390

World No 39 Zheng upset top seed Sabalenka in 2025 to reach the semi-final and she is still nursing her way back to full fitness following her long injury layoff. Once her points are removed, she will drop out of the top 50.

Stearns – currently No 50 – defeated the likes of Madison Keys and Elina Svitolina en route to the last four last year before losing against Paolini.

Aryna Sabalenka/Elina Svitolina/Mirra Andreeva/Diana Shnaider – 215

The reigning Sunshine Double champion was beaten in the quarter-final by Zheng Qinwen in 2025 so she will drop 215 points and an early defeat coupled with a run to the latter stages by Rybakina cold see the gap between the top two in the rankings reduce significantly.

Andreeva and Svitolina are set to remain in the top 10 even if they lose early in Rome.

Marta Kostyuk/Naomi Osaka/Emma Raducanu/Jelena Ostapenko – 120

New Madrid Open champion Kostyuk as well as Osaka, Tauson, Raducanu and Ostapenko were among the players to lose in the fourth round in 2025.

Kostyuk has a chance to edge closer to the top 10 with a deep run Rome while Raducanu needs a decent haul of points if she wants to confirm a seeding for the French Open.

Victoria Mboko – 65+81

The teenager came through qualifying last year and then lost in the second round, earning 65 points before signing up for a WTA125K event where she picked up another 81 points. But she is also assured of earning 10+32 points this year before the tournament even gets underway.

Iga Swiatek – 65

The six-time Grand Slam winner has a 199-point lead over Gauff ahead of the Italian Open and that lead will grow to 784 once last year’s Rome points are removed.

Swiatek was upset in the third round by Danielle Collins last year so will lose only 65 points.

Alex Eala – 10

The Filipina was beaten in the first round by Kostyuk in 2025 so she will drop only 10 points, but will earn that back just by playing in this year’s event. She also needs a deep run if she wants to be seeded at Roland Garros.

Elena Rybakina – 0

Although the reigning Australian Open champion reached the third round in Rome last year and earned 65 points, the Italian Open is one of her non-countable events so she will drop zero points.

With that taken into account, Sabalenka effectively starts the Italian Open with a 1,340-point lead over Rybakina and should the Kazakh player win the tournament with Sabalenka losing in second round, the lead could be just over 300 heading into Roland Garros.

The post WTA Italian Open: Points being defended by Sabalenka, Gauff, Swiatek, Paolini, Raducanu, Eala appeared first on Tennis365.

The number of players to withdraw from the 2026 Italian Open has risen to 13 across both the men’s and women’s singles tournaments.

By Thursday, 10 players had pulled out of the combined ATP/WTA 1000 event across both draws, with Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz and Jack Draper among the stars to withdraw. Since then, two men and one women have joined the list.

The prestigious tournament at the Foro Italico is the third clay-court ATP Masters 1000 of the season and the second clay-court WTA 1000.

Both the ATP and WTA tournaments in Rome feature 96 players, including 32 seeds — who receive an opening round bye.

Main draw action at the women’s event will begin on Tuesday 5 May, while the men’s tournament will get underway on Wednesday 6 May. The women’s singles final will be played on Saturday 16 May before the men’s singles final on Sunday 17 May.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jasmine Paolini were the champions in Rome in 2025.

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ATP Italian Open withdrawal list

Alcaraz and Fritz would have been seeded second and seventh respectively in Rome, but they withdrew due to injuries.

Draper — who has been ruled out due to a knee injury — is currently ranked 28th, but he would not have been seeded as his ranking will drop next week.

Holger Rune will not compete as he is gearing up for his comeback from an Achilles injury.

Reilly Opelka and Raphael Collignon are the two latest ATP players to pull out.

• Carlos Alcaraz (world No 2) – replaced by Sebastian Ofner
• Taylor Fritz (world No 7) – replaced by Zachary Svajda
• Jack Draper (world No 28) – replaced by Hamad Medjedovic
• Holger Rune (world No 39) – replaced by Damir Dzumhur
• Reilly Opelka (world No 70) – replaced by Aleksandar Vukic
• Raphael Collignon (world No 71) – replaced by Alexandre Muller
• Arthur Cazaux (world No 73) – replaced by Mattia Bellucci
• Kamil Majchrzak (world No 74) – replaced by Roberto Bautista Agut
• Eliot Spizzirri (world No 82) – replaced by James Duckworth

WTA Italian Open withdrawal list

Marketa Vondrousova, a former world No 6 who won Wimbledon in 2023, has become the latest and highest-ranked woman to withdraw from Rome. The 26-year-old Czech has not played since January.

• Marketa Vondrousova (world No 45) – replaced by Solana Sierra
• Sonay Kartal (world No 55) – replaced by Zeynep Sonmez
• Varvara Gracheva (world No 60) – replaced by Eva Lys
• Veronika Kudermetova (world No 64) – replaced by Petra Marcinko

READ NEXT: Madrid Open: What ranking points and prize money did Marta Kostyuk and Mirra Andreeva earn?

The post Italian Open withdrawals: Carlos Alcaraz among 13 stars to pull out as Wimbledon winner joins list appeared first on Tennis365.

Marta Kostyuk overcame Mirra Andreeva in straight sets to win the 2026 Madrid Open, but how much prize money and how many ranking points have the duo collected?

In the championship match on Manolo Santana Stadium court, 26th seed Kostyuk prevailed 6-3, 7-5 against No 9 seed Andreeva to secure her third and biggest WTA Tour title.

After earning the only break in the opening set, Kostyuk fought back from 1-3 down and saved two set points when serving at 4-5 in the second set. She claimed the decisive break at 5-5 before converting her third match point when serving at 6-5.

Kostyuk was competing in her first-ever WTA 1000 final, while Andreeva was seeking her third title from three finals at this level of tournament.

This was only the second meeting between the pair, with Kostyuk having downed Andreeva 7-6(7), 6-3 in the quarter-finals at the Brisbane International in January.

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Here, we look at the ranking points and prize money earned by Kostyuk and Andreeva in Madrid.

Andreeva and Kostyuk’s Madrid Open ranking points

Kostyuk has secured 1,000 ranking points for winning the Madrid Open, which increases her points total to 2,507. This has lifted Kostyuk eight places to a new career-high ranking of world No 15.

The 23-year-old Ukrainian defeated Anastasia Potapova in the semi-finals, Linda Noskova in the quarter-finals, Caty McNally in the last 16, Jessica Pegula in the third round and Yulia Putintseva in her first match.

Andreeva’s runner-up result has earned her 650 points, which puts her on 4,181 points and moves her up one place to world No 7.

The 19-year-old Russian beat Hailey Baptiste in the semi-finals, Leylah Fernandez in the quarter-finals, Anna Bondar in the fourth round, Dalma Galfi in the third round and Panna Udvardy in her opening match.

Madrid Open WTA ranking points breakdown

Champion: 1,000 points
Runner-up: 650 points
Semi-finalists: 390 points
Quarter-finalists: 215 points
Round of 16: 120 points
Round of 32: 65 points
Round of 64: 35 points
Round of 128: 10 points

Andreeva and Kostyuk’s Madrid Open prize money

Kostyuk’s triumph has earned her €1,007,165 ($1,188,197) in prize money. She had collected $378,343 in prize money this year prior to Madrid, while her career total was $7,235,565.

Andreeva has claimed €535,585 ($631,853) for her run to the final. She had earned $1,138,864 this year prior to Madrid, and her career prize money total stood at $8,683,996

Madrid Open WTA prize money breakdown

Champion: €1,007,165 ($1,188,197)
Runner-up: €535,585 ($631,853)
Semi-finalists: €297,550 ($351,033)
Quarter-finalists: €169,375 ($199,819)
Round of 16: €92,470 ($109,091)
Round of 32: €54,110 ($63,836)
Round of 64: €31,585 ($37,262)
Round of 128: €21,285 ($25,110)

READ NEXT: Madrid Open: Jannik Sinner makes Carlos Alcaraz comment as he reveals how he is ‘trying to improve’

The post Madrid Open: What ranking points and prize money did Marta Kostyuk and Mirra Andreeva earn? appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner has commented on a shot he is trying to improve as he admitted he is “definitely not at the level” of Carlos Alcaraz in this area.

The world No 1, who is on a 22-match winning streak, is trying to win his fifth successive Masters 1000 title at the 2026 Madrid Open.

Sinner secured Masters titles at his last three events in Monte Carlo, Miami and Indian Wells, while he also won the Paris Masters at the end of the 2025 season.

The four-time Grand Slam champion will take on world No 3 Alexander Zverev in the final in the Spanish capital after defeating Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 in the last four on Friday.

The Italian star has been incorporating drop shots into his game with increasing effectiveness and frequency in recent months.

In his press conference after reaching the Madrid Open final, Sinner was asked about his use of drop shots during the tournament.

“It is a part of my game I’m trying to improve, of course,” said Sinner. “But I’m definitely not at the level of Carlos, that’s for sure. But I’m still trying. It’s good for my game trying to mix it up.”

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Sinner was also asked how he deals with the crowd cheering more for his opponents in certain matches.

“I think everyone is different,” said the 24-year-old. “Novak [Djokovic] handled it very, very well, of course; I think the best. But for me, I don’t have a technique. I’m just happy to be part of the match.

“People come to see good tennis, and sometimes people, they’re not against you, they just want to see a little bit more tennis, so I also understand them. Yeah, that’s it.

“Look, I try to stay also calm in very tough moments. This is just how I am, it doesn’t mean it’s good or bad. Everyone is different.

“But yeah, the crowd can give you a lot of positives. Me, when I play in Italy, it means a lot to me, Of course. I always say you have an extra shot playing with the crowd.

“But honestly, even when I played against Rafael [Jodar] here, it was a nice atmosphere. I think they are very, very fair towards me, and that’s something I really appreciate.”

READ NEXT: Madrid Open: Alexander Zverev sends warning to Jannik Sinner before final

The post Madrid Open: Jannik Sinner makes Carlos Alcaraz comment as he reveals how he is ‘trying to improve’ appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner has addressed the challenge he will face to recover for the Italian Open after reaching the final at the 2026 Madrid Open.

The world No 1 defeated 21-year-old French star Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 in the semi-finals at the Masters 1000 event in Madrid on Friday.

Sinner has won 22 consecutive matches after claiming titles in Monte Carlo, Miami and Indian Wells at his previous three events.

The Italian is aiming to become the first player in history to win the first four ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in a season. He will face world No 3 Alexander Zverev in the final in Madrid.

In his press conference after beating Fils, Sinner was asked how he was feeling about the prospect of winning his first title in Madrid.

“I don’t know. First, I’m happy about today, and tomorrow, it’s a relaxed day, and I don’t think too much about the final ahead,” the 24-year-old said.

“I’m, of course, very happy to play my first final here, it means a lot to me.

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“It has been an amazing tournament again. But whatever comes out Sunday, in any case, it has been a great tournament.”

ATP main draw action in Rome will begin on Wednesday May 6 — just three days after the Madrid Open final.

Sinner was asked how his body was holding up and whether he had any concerns about getting enough rest between Madrid and the start of Rome.

“Well, Rome, it’s then different again… I’m trying to recover very much in the night’s sleep,” the four-time Grand slam winner replied.

“This (last) night has been a very good sleep for me, a lot of hours and felt quite fresh this morning.

“But yeah, look, I’ve played a lot in the last one and a half months. Going very, very deep in tournaments; it’s a good sign.

“Of course, at the same time, you tend to get a little bit more tired, but I think and I believe when you play big matches; semi-finals, quarter-finals, finals — there is also adrenaline a little bit, that pushes [you].

“And then, between here and Rome, I try to recover again as much, and then we’ll see.”

Sinner was a runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Italian Open, which is the best result he has achieved at the prestigious clay-court tournament.

READ NEXT: Madrid Open ATP Rankings Winners & Losers: Sinner outstrips Alcaraz; Fils up, Blockx +34, Ruud -10, Draper -22

The post Jannik Sinner gives Italian Open update after ‘tired’ admission at Madrid Open appeared first on Tennis365.

Alexander Zverev has lost eight matches in a row against Jannik Sinner, but he is hoping to make life “a bit more difficult” for the world No 1 when they face each other in the Madrid Open final.

Two-time Madrid champion Zverev beat surprise package Alexander Blockx 6-2, 7-5 to reach the final of the ATP Masters 1000 event for a fourth time following his title runs in 2018 and 2020 and his runners-up trophy in 2021.

“I am very happy to be in the final,” the second seed said. “There were a lot of tough battles, especially at the start of the tournament. I am looking forward to playing Jannik again and looking forward to a tough match. The better player will win on Sunday.”

Sinner blitzed Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 to reach his fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 final as he won the Paris Masters last November and followed it up with trophies at this year’s Indian Wells Open, Miami Open and Monte Carlo Masters.

The Italian, who has now won 27 consecutive ATP 1000 matches, is looking to become the first man to win four consecutive Masters events as, although Novak Djokovic won five titles in a row, he missed one ATP 1000 tournament during that run.

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Given Sinner’s form and his record against Zverev, few would bet against the 24-year-old as the German’s last win was back in 2023 at the US Open.

Zverev led the head-to-head rivalry 4-1 at that stage, but eight matches later and it reads 9-4 in the Italian’s favour with his most recent win a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the semi-final in Indian Wells.

When asked about Sinner, the German replied: “He is quite a relaxed guy and he is enjoying tennis right now.

“I think tennis is very easy for him right now, the way he is playing. Maybe on Sunday I will make it a bit more difficult for him… The last eight times I didn’t win much. He is the best player in the world for sure and I will try to give him a tough battle.”

With Carlos Alcaraz ruled out of the Italian Open and French Open, Sinner is the hot favourite to make a clean sweep at the major events on clay.

At the start of the year, he hadn’t won an ATP Masters 1000 event on the surface, now he is one win away from making it two titles with the Rome and Roland Garros tournaments still to come.

After reaching his first final in Madrid, the top seed said: “Of course, I’m very happy to play my first final here, it means a lot to me. It has been an amazing tournament again. Whatever happens on Sunday, in any case, it has been a great tournament.”

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