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Alcaraz sweeps aside Sinner to seal maiden Italian Open title

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Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first Italian Open title following a straight-sets victory over home favourite Jannik Sinner.

The Spaniard won his third title of the season as he prevailed 7-6 (7-5) 6-1 after one hour and 43 minutes at Foro Italico.

Both players remained flawless on serve during the opening set, until Sinner forced two set points against the Alcaraz serve at 6-5 up.

However, Alcaraz eventually held out to force a tie-break, in which back-to-back aces put him in early control, before nursing his lead and eventually moving halfway towards victory.

The four-time major winner then built on that momentum at the start of the second set, breaking to love in game two to stun the already subdued Campo Centrale crowd.

Alcaraz was brimming with confidence as he broke again in the fourth game, while landing several exquisite drop-shot winners.

Sinner stayed alive at 5-1, but he only delayed the inevitable, with another drop shot paving the way for Alcaraz to volley into the empty court and seal his seventh ATP Masters crown.

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Alcaraz now boasts an 82-3 record on clay after winning the opening set.

The Spaniard became one of only three players to win eight of his first 10 ATP finals against top-five opponents, after Roger Federer (10-0) and Lleyton Hewitt (8-2).

At 22 years and two days old, Alcaraz is the fifth-youngest player in the Open Era to win 10 or more ATP titles on clay, after Mats Wilander, Rafael Nadal, Kent Carlsson and Bjorn Borg.

Meanwhile, Sinner became the third Italian player to reach the men's singles final at this event, and the first since Adriano Panatta in 1978.

However, the world number one was unable to lift the trophy, after suffering his first defeat in 27 matches.