Victory lifts Zverev into top 10
ROME— Alexander Zverev signalled his anticipated arrival among the tennis elite by defeating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 Sunday to win the Italian Open.
The 20-year-old Zverev became the youngest player to win a Masters 1000 event since Djokovic won in Miami a decade ago at 19.
“It’s nice to know that I can compete and play and win the biggest tournaments on tour against the biggest players on tour,” Zverev said.
Zverev broke in the very first game and was never really challenged by Djokovic, who appeared drained after having to win two matches a day earlier to reach the final.
“He’s making his mark already,” Djokovic said. “Today winning one of the biggest tournaments — absolutely deserved. Played great, served great. On the other hand, he didn’t get much from my side. I played very poor today. Just couldn’t find any rhythm.”
Djokovic committed nearly twice as many unforced errors as Zverev — 27 to 14. The match lasted just 81 minutes. The title will move Zverev up to a career-high No. 10 in the rankings Monday and place him among the contenders for Roland Garros. It will also add credibility to the belief by many tennis experts that Zverev will reach No. 1 some day.
“If I have only half of the career Novak has had, I’ll be fine,” Zverev said when asked if he can follow in Djokovic’s footsteps.
Earlier, Elina Svitolina surged to No. 1 in the season-long rankings race by beating Simona Halep 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in the women’s final.
“Everything just came together and I’m very happy that it’s happened in such a big tournament,” Svitolina said.