Alexander Zverev has claimed the first ATP 1000 title of his career after beating Novak Djokovic in the Italian Open final on Sunday.
The 20-year-old German won 6-4 6-3 to become the youngest player to win an ATP 1000 tournament since Djokovic himself a decade ago, as well as the first player born in the 1990s to win a Masters title.
Zverev broke in the very first game and was never really challenged by the second-ranked Djokovic, who was also broken twice in the second set.
The Serb received a code violation for an audible obscenity in the seventh game of the second set, and later double-faulted to hand Zverev match point.
A long backhand by Djokovic, who will celebrate his 30th birthday on Monday, subsequently ensured victory for his highly-rated opponent.
The Italian Open title will move Zverev up to a career-high number 10 in the rankings on Monday and place him among the contenders for the French Open, which begins next Sunday.
