Jannik Sinner cruised past Alexander Zverev in the final of the Madrid Open to win the tournament for the first time and become the first man to win five consecutive Masters 1000 events.

World No 1 beats German 6-1, 6-2 in 56 minutesSinner first man to win five consecutive Masters 1000sIt took just 14 minutes of the Madrid Open final for all 12,500 spectators packed inside Estadio Manolo Santana to collectively conclude that the match was already over. Down 0-3 and already desperately searching for a response to the superb play from his opponent, Alexander Zverev opened his service game with two horrific missed overhead smashes in consecutive points. He clearly did not believe he could win this match.While Zverev flailed helplessly throughout his pitiful 56 minutes on court, the world No 1, Jannik Sinner, pieced together yet another startling exhibition of relentless, destructive shotmaking paired with unwavering focus as he continued his total domination of men’s tennis by destroying Zverev 6-1, 6-2 to capture the Madrid Open title for the first time in his career. Continue reading...

Jannik Sinner becomes the first man to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles after beating Alexander Zverev in straight sets to win the Madrid Open.

Ukrainian wins 6-3, 7-5 at the Caja MágicaTitle means Kostyuk will break into top 15 for first timeMarta Kostyuk took an enormous step towards fulfilling her potential as the Ukrainian closed out an incredible week by winning the biggest title of her career at the Madrid Open, defeating Mirra Andreeva of Russia 6-3, 7-5.Although Kostyuk’s run through a WTA 1000 draw was unexpected, this title did not come out of nowhere. Kostyuk won her second career WTA event in Rouen just before Madrid, and has now put together an 11-match winning streak. Continue reading...

Emma Raducanu has linked up again with Andrew Richardson, who coached her to the US Open title as a teenage qualifier.

Sinner is youngest man to reach all nine Masters finalsRaducanu reunites with coach who helped her win slamJannik Sinner has become the youngest man to reach the final of all nine Masters 1000 tournaments after swatting aside Arthur Fils at the Madrid Open.The world No 1 follows Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in completing the set and, at 24, has done so at a younger age than his illustrious predecessors – taking a year off Djokovic’s record. Continue reading...

Jannik Sinner is on to the Madrid Open final after defeating Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 for the top-ranked Sinner's 350th career win.

World number one Jannik Sinner remains on course for a record fifth consecutive Masters 1,000 title after reaching the Madrid Open final with a straight-set win over Arthur Fils.

Despite the ferocious competition and lonely lifestyle, tennis is in its sweetheart eraTennis is hard. To succeed you need to be fast, strong, have deft hands and joints of steel. It’s also a solo sport against a single opponent so you need to be a strategist as well as an athlete. The games can go for more than five hours. The elite players compete for large pools of prize money, fiercely defend their rankings and travel the world constantly to maintain their edge. They play for 11 months of the year.Tennis is also incredibly chic. Continue reading...

Belgian is fourth lowest-ranked player to reach last fourInjured Alcaraz turns up to support young brother JamieAlexander Blockx’s dream run in Madrid continues with the 21-year-old Belgian beating the defending champion Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open on Thursday.The 69th-ranked emerging talent had not won an ATP Tour match on clay before his third-round run in Monte Carlo three weeks ago. He has also defeated the third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime and Francisco Cerundolo on his way to the last four in the Spanish capital. Continue reading...

Jannik Sinner proved too much for Rafael Jódar but was impressed by the latest tennis sensation from Spain in their Madrid Open quarterfinal match.

Former world No 4’s knee problem follows arm injuryDraper says it is ‘gutting’ to miss Roland GarrosJack Draper has been ruled out of the French Open with a knee injury. It is another blow in his attempt to re-establish himself after a long-term arm injury ruled him out for the best part of eight months.Draper has managed nine matches in five events since returning in ­February and retired during his first-round match with Tomás ­Martín Etcheverry at the Barcelona Open this month. He was diagnosed with an aggravated knee tendon injury and had initially hoped to return before the second grand slam of the year next month. Continue reading...