Colin Fleming: Jannik Sinner blow deepens Alexander Zverev’s grand slam drought

Alexander Zverev was beaten convincingly by Jannik Sinner in the 2026 Madrid Open final.

Sinner won the match in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, picking up his first Madrid title and a fifth straight ATP Masters 1000 victory.

The Italian also became the first player to win five consecutive titles at this level since the format began.

Zverev struggled to get into the match and has now lost nine times in a row to Sinner, without a win since 2023.

The German was far from his best, and former British player Colin Fleming noted that Zverev’s chances of winning his first major title may have taken a hit.

Colin Fleming shares his thoughts on Zverev’s Madrid Open loss

Speaking to Sky Sports, Fleming said: “I feel a bit gutted for Zverev in a way. As good as Sinner was, Zverev just didn’t perform.

“It’s strange in a way because the first point of the match was one of Zverev’s best points. I thought he was up for this today. He pinned him in the backhand corner.

“Then he lost the next four points and then played a really poor first service game and got broken and I honestly felt the match was over.

“At 2-0 in the first set he looked completely deflated. His main driver is to win a Grand Slam and unfortunately for Zverev it felt looked like he took a big step further away from that today and that is going to be pretty tough for him to come to terms with.”

Alexander Zverev matches 2007 record after Madrid Open final loss

Sinner’s nine-match win streak over Zverev is now the joint-longest against a fellow top-five player.

Roger Federer is the only other player to have achieved the same, having beaten Andy Roddick nine times in a row between 2003 and 2007.

Zverev’s last win over Sinner came in the fourth round of the 2023 US Open, where he edged out a five-set victory.

Since then, Sinner hasn’t dropped a set to Zverev in their past six meetings. The last time Zverev took a set off him was in the 2025 Vienna final.

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