Jannik Sinner made history on Sunday, ending a 50-year drought for Italy in the Italian Open. Sinner, the world No. 1, secured a composed 6-4, 6-4 victory over Casper Ruud in the final, marking his first Italian Open triumph since Adriano Panatta's win in 1976.

With this victory, Sinner joined Novak Djokovic as the only men to have won all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles, the premier events below Grand Slams. “There's no better place to complete this set,” Sinner said. “For an Italian, it's one of the most special places we play tennis. Winning here at least once in my career means a lot.”

The 24-year-old extended his winning streak to 29 matches and is now 17-0 on clay this season as he heads into the French Open. Sinner celebrated calmly, but his relief was evident when he landed an inside-out forehand on championship point before raising his hands over his head and waving to the crowd.

He also addressed Adriano Panatta, the 1976 champion, saying, “Adriano, after 50 years, we have won back a very important trophy.” Sinner’s victory came with Italy President Sergio Mattarella in attendance and was celebrated by a capacity crowd of 10,500 chanting his name.

Sinner improved to 5-0 against Ruud in their head-to-head meetings, overcoming early signs of a potential challenge from the 25th-ranked player. With this win, Sinner remains on track to complete the set of Grand Slam titles, having already won the Australian Open twice and once each at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.