Jannik Sinner retired sick at 0-5 in the first set, gifting Carlos Alcaraz the Cincinnati title

Carlos Alcaraz lifted the Cincinnati Open trophy for the first time in his career on Monday night, but the victory came in surreal circumstances after Jannik Sinner, his fiercest rival, was forced to retire ill midway through the opening set.

The men’s final had promised to be a blockbuster clash between the world’s top two players. Instead, the match lasted just five games before Sinner, visibly unwell from the start, conceded defeat while trailing 0-5.

From the opening rally, it was clear the Italian was struggling. Sinner, the world No 1, looked drained, moving gingerly between points with his face flushed in the stifling 31C heat and heavy humidity. His serving faltered immediately, missing three of his first four first serves, and Alcaraz broke with ease.

Determined to keep rallies short, Sinner went for quick winners but sprayed unforced errors in every direction. By 0-4 down, he had already called for the trainer. After serving a double fault to slip further behind, he shook his head, walked to the net and signalled he could not continue.

Later, he apologised to fans: “From yesterday I didn’t feel great. I thought that I would improve during the night. It came up worse. I tried to come out and make it at least a small match but I couldn’t handle more. I’m very, very sorry for all of you.”

Although Alcaraz has sometimes faltered when opponents struggled physically, this time he kept his focus, maintaining a relentless intensity that made Sinner’s plight even clearer. When the match ended abruptly, Alcaraz walked over to his rival’s bench, placed an arm around him and listened as Sinner explained he had been unwell for days.

The Spaniard told him: “Don’t worry at all.” Addressing the crowd afterwards, Alcaraz admitted the manner of his win felt hollow. “This is not the way I want to win matches, to win the trophy. I just gotta say sorry. But as I say many times, you are truly a champion. I’m sure you’ll come back stronger. You always do – that’s what true champions do.”

The result handed Alcaraz his eighth Masters 1000 title at just 22 years of age. Only Rafael Nadal has managed the same feat at a younger age. The victory also came two years after Alcaraz lost a thrilling three-set Cincinnati final against Novak Djokovic, widely hailed as one of the greatest matches of the modern era.

For Sinner, the abrupt retirement ended a remarkable 26-match winning streak on hard courts, underlining how ill he must have felt to walk away.

On the women’s side, Iga Swiatek finally conquered Cincinnati after years of disappointment. The world No 3 defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 7-5, 6-4 to secure her 24th career title.

Paolini, ranked seventh, made a strong start, racing to a 3-0 lead in the first set, but Swiatek clawed her way back to 5-3, before closing out in just under an hour. In the second set, Paolini broke serve twice to narrow the gap but Swiatek’s eighth ace sealed the win.

It marked a breakthrough for Swiatek, who had never progressed past the semi-finals in six previous Cincinnati appearances. Paolini, meanwhile, became the first Italian woman to reach the final. Her rise over the past two years includes two Grand Slam singles finals, a Grand Slam doubles title and Olympic gold.

The sudden collapse of the men’s final may have denied fans a classic showdown, but it sets the stage for an explosive US Open. Alcaraz will arrive in New York brimming with confidence, while Sinner will hope rest and recovery allow him to challenge for another major.

For now, the Cincinnati Open belongs to Alcaraz — though it was a victory tinged with sympathy rather than celebration.