Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud are currently facing off in the final of the 2026 Italian Open on Sunday, May 17. The match got off to a heartwarming start, as the ballkid who was previously involved in a controversy with Luciano Darderi was invited onto the court.
Sinner booked his place in the final after impressive wins over Sebastian Ofner, Alexei Popyrin, Andrea Pellegrino, Andrey Rublev, and Daniil Medvedev. Ruud, on the other hand, defeated Zachary Svajda, Jiri Lehecka, Lorenzo Musetti, Karen Khachanov, and Luciano Darderi to reach this stage. This marks the fifth meeting between the two players.
The opening ceremony of the match featured a touching moment, as the same ballkid from the earlier controversy was invited for the coin toss, seemingly as a gesture to make amends.
The incident in question occurred during Ruud and Darderi’s semifinal, where players traditionally walk onto the court holding hands with ballkids. While Ruud warmly held the child’s hand, Darderi, wearing sunglasses, appeared to overlook the ballkid, leaving the child to walk alone, which sparked backlash online.
At the time of publication, the final was level at 4-3*, with Sinner serving to stay on par with the Norwegian. After an early 0-2 setback, the World No. 1 broke back to make things level again.
(Article to be updated later as match progresses.)