Jannik Sinner has claimed his fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title this weekend in Madrid. Our regular tennis column, Baseline, returns for the 2026 season, keeping you updated on the relentless pace of the ATP and WTA circuits. Who have been crowned champions, who has struggled to make their mark, and what were the standout moments over the past seven days?
**Title Winners**
Jannik Sinner showed no signs of slowing down in the Spanish capital, extending his impressive winning streak in ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. On Sunday, he reached a milestone by dominating Alexander Zverev to win the Mutua Madrid Open title. The world number one from Italy cruised past the German, sealing a 6-1, 6-2 victory in the final at the Caja Mágica. This made him the first player in history to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles.
Sinner was at his best from the start on Sunday, breaking Zverev’s serve multiple times and quickly establishing a 5-0 lead in the first set against the second seed. He did not face a single break point and converted all four break opportunities he created. In the second set, Sinner reaffirmed his dominance by breaking Zverev to go up 2-1, then broke again for a 5-2 lead before serving out the match to claim the trophy. Zverev was seeking his third Madrid title.
The seemingly unbeatable Italian has only dropped two sets across his five recent titles (in Paris last November, and Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid in 2026). He did not concede a single break point in his ninth consecutive victory over the world number three from Germany. With this triumph, Sinner surpassed Novak Djokovic, who won four consecutive tournaments on three occasions, and Rafael Nadal, who achieved four straight titles in 2013.
If Sinner can lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires at Roland Garros, he will complete the career Grand Slam by winning all four majors, becoming the tenth man to do so. Madrid fans missed the almost customary Sinner-Alcaraz final, as the Spaniard, who became the youngest to complete the career Grand Slam after his Australian Open win in January, was unable to play in Madrid due to a wrist injury that will also keep him out of Roland Garros.
Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk will not soon forget the date when she defeated Mirra Andreeva in straight sets to win the Madrid Open and claim her first WTA 1000 title. The victory, which lasted one hour and 21 minutes, extended her unbeaten run on clay this spring to 12 consecutive matches, a career best. Kostyuk arrived at her first WTA 1000 clay tournament of the season after winning the WTA 250 title in Rouen, France, and boosted her confidence with a Billie Jean King Cup win for Ukraine over Magda Linette.
The relatively unheralded Ukrainian surprised by eliminating Jessica Pegula during the tournament and dropped only one set on her way to the title, in the semifinals against Anastasia Potapova. In the final, Kostyuk put on a display of power and strong defense that the 19-year-old Andreeva, known for her patient and polished game, could not counter. Kostyuk, ranked 23rd in the world, won 6-3, 7-5 against the Russian, becoming the second player outside the top 20 to capture the trophy in the Spanish capital. This was Kostyuk’s third WTA title and second of the season, following her win in Rouen, also on clay, two weeks earlier.