Rome (AFP) – Germany’s Alexander Zverev stunned four-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 to win the Rome Masters on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Zverev claimed his maiden Masters 1000 title after becoming the youngest player in a decade to reach a final at this level and will move to 10 in the world as a result of his impressive victory.
Djokovic was the previous youngest Masters finalist, going all the way to the title in Miami as a 19-year-old in 2007.
But despite a clinical straight sets win over Austrian Dominic Thiem on Saturday, world number two Djokovic produced a flawed performance on centre court that saw him curse and swear as he struggled to find a way back into the game.
Overall, Djokovic had 27 unforced errors to 14 for Zverev, who also had 16 winners to the Serb’s 11.
