ROME: Alexander Zverev won his second Rome Open title after beating Nicolas Jarry in straight sets 6-4, 7-5 in Sunday’s final. World number five Zverev, also Foro Italico champion in 2017, comfortably won his sixth Masters 1000 title in the last major tournament before the French Open, which gets underway next weekend.

The 27-year-old succeeded in his 11th Masters final which equalled Boris Becker’s record for the most by a German since the series began in 1990. He comfortably beat Chile’s Jarry, who could not repeat his quarter- and semi-final heroics against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Tommy Paul, in one hour and 41 minutes.

Zverev claimed his first title of the year and first since winning at Chengdu in September at the end of an unusual men’s tournament in which a host of top names were either eliminated early of dropped out before the start of the event.

Six-time Rome champion Novak Djokovic was dumped out in the third round by Zverev’s semi-final opponent, journeyman Alejandro Tabilo. Last year’s winner Daniil Medvedev was stopped at the last-16 stage while Italian world number two Jannik Sinner and third-ranked Carlos Alcaraz both missed the tournament with injury.

Earlier, Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini gave Italian fans something to cheer after beating Coco Gauff and Erin Routliffe to the women’s doubles title. Unseeded Errani and Paolini made the Foro Italico crown roar by beating reigning US Open singles champion Gauff and Routliffe 6-3, 4-6, 10-8. Home supporters had been denied the chance to see Sinner and Matteo Berrettini play, with the former Wimbledon finalist also not fit enough to take part in his home city. — AFP