Madrid Open - 05/04

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Ace Cream's daily newsletter during Masters 1000 and Grand Slams, every morning at 8:30.

Today is Monday, May 4, in Madrid it's 08:30 and 14 degrees. Ok, let's go.

On today's menu

• 🇮🇹 Sinner sweeps Zverev 6-1 6-2 to win his fifth straight Masters 1000
• 📈 Sinner draws level with Alcaraz in Big Titles and stretches his lead at No. 1
• 🇪🇸 Alcaraz to skip Rome and Roland Garros due to injury
• 🇮🇹 Italian Open draw at Piazza del Popolo at 10:30
• 🎾 Qualifying begins in Rome: Foro Italico week is underway

WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY:

🇮🇹 Sinner Pulverises Zverev And Rewrites The Masters 1000 Record Book

Jannik Sinner beat Alexander Zverev 6-1 6-2 on the Manolo Santana, becoming the first player in history to win five consecutive Masters 1000. 93% of points won on first serve, four break points converted out of four and none conceded to the German. For Jannik it's the twenty-eighth straight win at Masters 1000 level and the fourth title of 2026, the highest seasonal trophy count on tour.

More than the scoreline, what stands out is the way Sinner stripped Zverev of any foothold from the very first exchanges: the German's serve, which in recent days had seemed back to its best, was read as if Jannik were picking the points off a chart. The streak he is on now has contours that until recently looked off the charts even for him, and the feeling is that in Rome and Paris the problem, for his opponents, will be more mental than technical.

📈 Sinner Levels Alcaraz In Big Titles And Stretches His Lead At The Top

With his Madrid triumph, Sinner moves to 15 Big Titles, matching Alcaraz's personal tally in the standing that combines Slams, Finals, Masters 1000 and Olympic gold. Today also marks the start of Jannik's seventieth week as world No. 1, four more than the Spaniard, who stopped at 66, and over the coming weeks the gap at the top of the ranking is set to widen further.

What is striking is how quickly the horizon of this rivalry has shifted: at the start of the year the feeling was of a balanced duopoly, today that same duopoly is moving at two different speeds, at least for the next two months. Whether Carlos's return will change things again remains to be seen, but in the meantime the race for the year-end No. 1, which back in January looked like the central story of the season, risks becoming a side chapter.

🇪🇸 Alcaraz Pulls Up: No Rome, No Paris

Carlos Alcaraz will skip both the Italian Open and Roland Garros because of the physical issue that has been holding him back in recent weeks, and this opens a huge gap in the clay-court draws of the season. The Spaniard is the defending champion in Paris and the natural favourite at every red-clay tournament, so his absence redraws predictions, paths and hierarchies in the space of a press release.

At this point the men's clay scene rests entirely in Sinner's hands, with Zverev as the main chaser and a group of outsiders who in Madrid showed they can scratch but not yet replace the two at the top. The calendar from now until June 9 looks like a long dress rehearsal missing the actor who, more than anyone, defined last season on red clay, and only at Roland Garros will we be able to truly measure his absence.

WHAT'S HAPPENING TODAY:

• Internazionali BNL d'Italia draw - At 10:30 in Piazza del Popolo, for the first time outside the Foro Italico. It will be the first moment when the Roman public sees the ATP and WTA draws come together, in an edition that without Alcaraz brings Sinner as the most awaited star, alongside Djokovic, Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff and Paolini.
• Qualifying in Rome - At the Foro Italico the real tennis week begins, with the first round of men's and women's qualifying. Main draw matches start on Wednesday, but it's from today that we'll see who arrives in Rome with legs and confidence.
• Rest day for the Madrid finalists - Sinner and Zverev expected in Rome over the next few days: the former to defend his No. 1 status, the latter to try and put himself back ahead of the other chasers behind the Spaniard in the year-end ranking.

Further reading

• Jannik Sinner storms past Alexander Zverev to win Madrid
• Madrid Open 2026: Jannik Sinner trounces Sascha Zverev for record fifth Masters 1000 title in a row
• Jannik Sinner levels with Carlos Alcaraz in Big Titles count
• ATP Italian Open 2026 Entry List, Draw Date: Sinner, Djokovic star; Alcaraz leads withdrawals
• What time is the Rome tennis draw?
• Sinner Vaporises Zverev To Win Madrid Title

Have a great breakfast and a great day.

See you tomorrow at 08:30 with TIE-Breakfast