Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have contested their first match of the 2026 ATP season.
The pair, who have emerged as dominant forces on the Tour over the past two years, met in the Monte Carlo Masters final on Sunday.
On this occasion, it was the Italian who emerged victorious, defeating Alcaraz 7-6, 6-3.
As a result, Sinner has reclaimed the world number one spot from his great rival.
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Moreover, the 24-year-old Italian’s first title in Monaco has seen him join an exclusive group alongside Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Jannik Sinner has won four consecutive Masters 1000 titles
Jannik Sinner has become only the third man in tennis history to win four consecutive Masters 1000 titles.
Sinner’s run began at the 2025 Paris Masters, where he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime to win his first title at the event.
The Italian continued his dominance in the US, becoming only the eighth man to win the ‘Sunshine Double’ after capturing titles in Indian Wells and Miami.
Sinner’s victory on Sunday in Monaco marked his fourth consecutive title win at the Masters 1000 level.
Jannik Sinner’s run to the Monte Carlo title
- Round of 64: BYE
- Round of 32: defeated Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-0
- Round of 16: defeated Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-7, 6-3
- Quarter-finals: defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 6-4
- Semi-finals: defeated Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-4
- Final: defeated Carlos Alcaraz 7-6, 6-3
Remarkably, Djokovic won four consecutive Masters 1000 titles on three separate occasions.
The Serbian superstar first completed the feat from 2013 to 2014, winning in Shanghai, Paris, Indian Wells and Miami.
He did so again from 2014 to 2015, and for a third time from 2015 to 2016.
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Rafael Nadal also won four consecutive Masters titles, winning the Madrid Open, Italian Open, Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open in 2015.
Jannik Sinner matches another of Novak Djokovic’s feats
By triumphing in Monte Carlo, Sinner is now only the second man to win the Miami Open and Monte Carlo Masters in the same season.
Novak Djokovic is the only other man to do so, having completed the feat in 2015.
Winning the Miami Open and Monte Carlo Masters is an extremely difficult feat due to the contrasting conditions at both events.
Miami has historically been a quick hard-court event, in contrast to the slow clay-court conditions in Monte Carlo.
Remarkably, Sunday’s triumph was only Sinner’s second on clay – his first since winning his first ATP Tour title at the 2022 Umag Open.
