WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

05/03 15:17 CDT Sinner crushes Zverev to win Madrid Open and claim record 5th straight Masters 1000 title Sinner crushes Zverev to win Madrid Open and claim record 5th straight Masters 1000 title By TALES AZZONI AP Sports Writer MADRID (AP) --- Top-ranked Jannik Sinner cruised past Alexander Zverev in the final of the Madrid Open to win the tournament for the first time and become the first man to win five consecutive Masters 1000 events. Sinner beat the third-ranked Zverev 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday for his 23rd straight win. He had already won Master 1000 tournaments in Monte Carlo, Miami and Indian Wells this year, and in Paris last year. "I think there is a lot of work behind it," Sinner said. "A lot of dedication and sacrifice I put in every day. Obviously, it means a lot to me, seeing these results." Zverev lost to Sinner in the semifinals of each of those tournaments. He won in Madrid in 2018 and 2021, and was runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz in 2022. "He's very good, of course. But I think today I would have lost to anybody, to be very fair. I think today I played an awful tennis match," Zverev said. Sinner converted all four break points he earned and did not face any break points himself in a comfortable win over Zverev at the Caja Magica tennis complex in Madrid. Sinner had not been past the quarterfinals in three previous appearances in Madrid. "I'm very happy that I've continued to believe in myself," Sinner said. "I'm showing up every day, at every practice session, trying to put in the right work with the right discipline. To do so, you need to have the right team behind you, which I have. I'm very happy about me, but also the team, and this means a lot to all of us." Sinner next plays in Rome with a chance to lift the trophy in the only Masters 1000 tournament he is yet to win. The 24-year-old Italian is looking to join Novak Djokovic as the only man to complete the Career Golden Masters. The Serbian won all nine tournaments twice. "It's quite simple," Zverev said. "I think there's a big gap between Sinner and everybody else." In the women's final on Saturday, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine beat Mirra Andreeva of Russia 7-5, 6-3. ___ AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis