For the ninth time in a row
Next slap: Zverev goes down against Jannik Sinner
May 3, 2026 – 6:57 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
In the final in Madrid, Alexander Zverev met Jannik Sinner again. Once again it was a bitter day for the German.
The German tennis star Alexander Zverev missed his first title of the season after another lesson from dominator Jannik Sinner. The 29-year-old suffered his ninth defeat in a row against the Italian in the final of the Masters 1000 tournament in Madrid – and it was particularly painful and sealed after less than an hour. The completely hopeless Hamburger lost 1:6, 2:6 against the world number one, who was able to set another milestone in his career.
Sinner is the first male tennis professional to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row. The South Tyrolean had also triumphed at previous events in Monte Carlo, Miami, Indian Wells and Paris. The Masters is the second highest category in tennis after the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Zverev was not an equal opponent for Sinner in the final in Madrid, where he won in 2018 and 2021. He lost his first two service games and made some blatant mistakes. When Zverev won his first game 1:5, there was encouraging applause from the stands in the Manolo Santana Stadium. But Sinner remained unimpressed and after just 25 minutes he secured the first set.
In the second round, Zverev only kept up a little better at the beginning, before Sinner completely set the rhythm again and finally made the final a one-sided affair. After just 57 minutes, the four-time Grand Slam tournament winner converted his first match point to a victory over the German number one that was never in danger. “Two worlds meet today,” said former tennis professional and Davis Cup captain Patrik Kühnen as a Sky commentator.
Zverev was only the third male tennis professional after the long-retired tennis idols Rafael Nadal (8 in total) and Roger Federer (4) to reach the final in Madrid for the fourth time. But the world number three was painfully denied winning the title. The manner of the defeat also raises questions about Zverev’s title chances at the French Open starting on May 24th in Paris, where Sinner will be the undisputed favorite after defending champion Carlos Alcaraz from Spain withdrew due to injury.
