Djokovic lost, Masters has youngest champion in 10 years

20-year-old German tennis player Alexander Zverev shocked the world number two in the final of the Rome Masters on Sunday, May 21.

Alexander Zverev won the final 6-4, 6-3, becoming the youngest champion at a Masters event since 2007, when Djokovic won the Miami Open.

With his first Masters title at the age of 20 and a month, Zverev is set to move from world No. 17 to the top 10 when the new ATP rankings are released next week.

In the encounter with Djokovic, the young German talent surprisingly dominated from the start. Zverev did not face a single break point throughout the match, and broke the player with 12 Grand Slam titles in the first service game.

In the second set, Zverev broke his opponent's serve twice. In the match that lasted one hour and 21 minutes, Djokovic made 27 unforced errors compared to his junior's 14.

Zverez started well and used that momentum to convincingly defeat his more experienced senior. Photo: Reuters.

The defeat to the 16th seed in this tournament forced Djokovic to continue waiting until the French Open opening on May 28 for a chance to win his second ATP title this season, after winning the tournament in Doha earlier this year.

“It was an honor to be on the court today and play against one of the strongest players in the world,” Zverev said after the win.

Regarding the second Grand Slam of the year, Zverev commented: "I am sure Djokovic will still be one of the candidates to win the championship in Paris."

Meanwhile, Djokovic praised the new generation of stars: "He is definitely on a great path. He played a great match and deserved to win."

Nole is still struggling to return to the top of men's tennis. Photo: Reuters.

In the women's event, Ukraine's Elina Svitolina won with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 against Romanian star Simona Halep. The comeback victory gave Svitolina her fourth title this year, following titles in Istanbul, Dubai and Taipei City.

The 22-year-old is currently ranked 11th in the world, but will return to the top 10 when the new WTA rankings are updated on Monday.

Meanwhile, the defeat in Rome cost Halep the chance to win a second consecutive tournament, having already won the Madrid Open last week. The world number four did not have the best performance in the final as she struggled with an ankle problem.

According to VNE