The 2026 Italian Open is the final big clay tournament ahead of the French Open.

There is a fantastic final set between Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud. The match begins at 11:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, May 17.

Jannik Sinner vs. Casper Ruud Preview

This is a tale of two very different players. Jannik Sinner is currently dominating the tennis world. He has broken Novak Djokovic’s record of consecutive matches won in Masters 1000 events. Meanwhile, Casper Ruud is trying to revive his career. The former World No. 2 has dropped out of the top 20 in the ATP rankings for the first time after 257 weeks in the top 20. This win would be the biggest of his career if he can take down Sinner and win a Masters 1000 event.

Sinner is seeking his sixth consecutive Masters 1000 title, a record number of Masters 1000 titles in a row. With Carlos Alcaraz on the sidelines, and even in the events following the Australian Open, Jannik Sinner has been untouchable. Daniil Medvedev did put up a good fight against Sinner in the semi-finals, but it still feels like there is no real threat that he is going to lose a match until Carlos Alcaraz returns. Sinner is playing some of the best tennis of his life and has a chance to complete the Career Golden Masters in this match. Sinner’s home-country tournament is the only Masters 1000 event that he has never won. He would join Djokovic as the only man in history to complete the Career Golden Masters if he wins this final on Sunday.

Ruud has been one of the best clay players in the world over the past decade. He has made the semi-finals in three of the past four French Opens and made the final on two of those occasions. However, he could never quite pull off that big win. He is also 1-2 all-time in Masters 1000 finals, finally winning his first Masters 1000 title last year in Madrid on clay. This would be a defining win for Ruud’s career. While he is still chasing that first major, adding a second Masters 1000 title by beating the World No. 1, who is on a record-breaking winning streak, would be an incredible achievement for Ruud.

Jannik Sinner vs. Casper Ruud Pick, Best Bet

My best bet for this match is for Jannik Sinner to cover the spread of -5.5 games. Casper Ruud has been excellent in this tournament, but he has not faced anyone near Sinner’s caliber. That is partially because there is nobody near Sinner’s caliber as long as Carlos Alcaraz is out with an injury. Ruud’s toughest opponent was World No. 10 Lorenzo Musetti, a big step down from Sinner.

These two have faced off four times in the past as Sinner dominated all four matches. They most recently met last year here in Rome in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open. Sinner won that match by a shocking score of 6-1, 6-0. Ruud was in great form at that time, coming off his title in Madrid. Sinner still obliterated Ruud and proved that he is on another level entirely. Sinner has also won each of his past three matches against Ruud by at least seven games. He just defeated Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 in the Madrid Open final and there could be a similar result for Sinner against Ruud here in Rome.

Best Bet: Jannik Sinner -5.5 Games (-110)