London: Jannik Sinner, the top-ranked Italian star, captured his maiden Wimbledon title on Sunday, defeating Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in a reversal of their epic French Open final just five weeks ago.

Sinner, 23, held off the two-time defending champion and halted Alcaraz’s unbeaten Grand Slam final record of 5-0. With this, Sinner now owns four Grand Slam titles, just one behind 22-year-old Alcaraz.

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter how you win or you lose the important tournaments,” Sinner said, trophy in hand. “You just have to understand what you did wrong. Trying to work on that — that’s exactly what we did.”

Rising above past failures

Sinner had suffered a dramatic collapse in Paris, where he led by two sets and held three match points before falling to Alcaraz in over five hours. Yet, Sinner insisted early in Wimbledon that the loss did not haunt him.

“Why negative feelings? Because I lost in (that) final?” he asked in the first week at the All England Club. “No. Look, it’s a new tournament, new Grand Slam, new surface.”

On Sunday, the roles reversed. Sinner stood firm, especially in the fourth set when trailing 15-40 at 4-3. He calmly won the next four points and went on to serve out the championship.

Ending Alcaraz’s streak

Sinner’s win snapped several of Alcaraz’s impressive runs — including 20 straight victories at Wimbledon and a career-best 24-match winning streak. Interestingly, the last man to beat Alcaraz at Wimbledon had also been Sinner, in the 2022 fourth round.

“Today was important not just because it was a Grand Slam final… He needed that win today,” said Darren Cahill, one of Sinner’s coaches, who may extend his tenure with the team after this result.

Even as the crowd chanted “Car-los! Car-los!”, Sinner remained composed and reflective. “The things that went his way in Paris,” he said, “went my way this time.”

Champions under pressure

Centre Court witnessed moments of brilliance from both men — rapid rallies, forceful hitting, and standout shots. Alcaraz fired 15 aces but struggled with consistency, managing only a 53% first-serve rate and committing seven double faults.

Sinner’s control never wavered, even while playing with a taped elbow and the same protective sleeve he wore during his win over Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. He has now appeared in four consecutive major finals, winning the US Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon.

There was even a brief distraction — a Champagne cork popped from the stands before a Sinner serve — but neither player lost focus.

A modern rivalry reminiscent of Federer-Nadal

Their rivalry is fast becoming the sport’s defining feature. This was the first time in over 50 years — and the first since Federer and Nadal between 2006 and 2008 — that the same men contested both the French Open and Wimbledon finals in a calendar year.

“I’m just really, really happy about having this rivalry with him,” said Alcaraz. “It’s great for us, and it is great for tennis.”

With AP inputs