Ruthless, overwhelming Jannik Sinner leaves crumbs to world number 3 Alexander Zverev and flies to the final in Monte Carlo, where he will compete with Carlos Alcaraz for the title and sceptre of world number 1 .

The Italian defeated the German champion 6-1, 6-4 in one hour and 23 minutes of play . This was his eighth consecutive victory over Zverev, the fourth in his last four 1000 semifinals, in which he hasn't conceded a set.

A real verdict for Jannik, who thus reaches his first final in the Principality, fourth consecutive in a 1000 after those won in Paris in 2025, in Indian Wells and Miami a few weeks ago .

The South Tyrolean started off with a bang, immediately taking a 4-0 lead and closing out the first set 6-1 in half an hour. In the second set, Zverev's resistance lasted a little longer, but he couldn't dent Sinner, who never struggled on his service runs ( 7 points conceded in 8 service games ). And in the tenth game, with two winners—a wonderful backhand passing shot and a forehand down the line—he broke the set and won the match.

In the final, Sinner faces Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated local hero Valentin Vacherot 6-4, two sets later . This match is doubly significant: not only is it the first of 2026 between the two world tennis dominators (who have already won two tournaments apiece this year), it's also the match that, in addition to the title, is worth the world number one ranking. A triumph would see the South Tyrolean return to the top of the rankings, displacing the Murcian. Previous matches have the Spaniard 10-6; the last one—the final of the ATP Finals in Turin—went to the Italian.

(Unioneonline/L)