The 5 players to win ATP titles without losing a set in 2023: Carlos Alcaraz the only one to do it twice
During the 2023 tennis season, five different players won an ATP tournament without losing a set, with Carlos Alcaraz the only man to achieve the feat twice.
The world No 2, who claimed six titles overall this year, was also the player who accomplished this at the highest level of tournament. Three of the six occasions it happened saw a player triumph at an event in their home nation.
Here, we look at the six times a player won an ATP title without dropping a single set in the 2023 season.
Jannik Sinner – Montpellier
Jannik Sinner was the first player to win an ATP tournament without losing a set this year when he triumphed in Montpellier in February.
The Italian, who was the No 2 seed at the ATP 250 indoor hard-court event, only had to play three matches as he received a first round bye and a walkover when second round opponent Marton Fucsovics withdrew.
Sinner downed compatriot Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-2 in the quarter-finals, before earning a 7-5, 6-2 semi-final victory over French wildcard Arthur Fils.
Stop everything you’re doing an watch this: Italians Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Sonego put on a show in Montpellier. pic.twitter.com/mOXGqv3Fkm
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) February 10, 2023
In the final, the 22-year-old saw off unseeded American Maxime Cressy 7-6(3), 6-3 to claim the first of the four titles he won during 2023.
Daniil Medvedev – Dubai
Daniil Medvedev became the next man to secure a title on the ATP tour without dropping a set with his victory at the Dubai Championships, which was played from 27 February – 4 March.
The 27-year-old was clinical at the ATP 500 hard-court tournament as he did not lose more than four games in a set across his five matches – starting with a 6-4, 6-2 defeat of Matteo Arnaldi.
The third seed then beat Alexander Bublik by an identical scoreline in the second round, before going one better with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 quarter-final win over No 8 seed Borna Coric.
In the last four, Medvedev became the first player to overcome Novak Djokovic, the top seed at the event, this year – with an impressive 6-4, 6-4 triumph.
ÉNORME point entre Daniil Medvedev et Novak Djokovic à Dubai. ⚡️pic.twitter.com/uExxOQmjWv
— Univers Tennis 🎾 (@UniversTennis) March 3, 2023
The Russian then crushed the No 2 seed – his good friend and countryman Andrey Rublev – 6-2, 6-2 in the final to win the third of his five titles this year.
Carlos Alcaraz – Indian Wells and Barcelona
Indian Wells
Later in March, Carlos Alcaraz joined the list of players to win an ATP title by shutting out each opponent with straight-set wins with his Indian Wells success.
The top seed saw off Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-3, 6-3 in his opening match, Tallon Griekspoor 7-6(4), 6-3 in the third round, and Jack Draper in the last 16 – when the Brit was forced to retire with Alcaraz leading 6-2, 2-0.
The Spaniard overcame No 8 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 6-4 in the last eight, before battling to a 7-6(4), 6-3 victory against 11th-seeded rival Sinner in the semi-finals.
In the championship match, Alcaraz cruised past fifth seed Daniil Medvedev with a stunning 6-3, 6-2 display to end the Russian’s streak of three straight titles.
The 20-year-old’s triumph at the ATP Masters 1000 event made him the only player to win a tournament of this level in 2023 without dropping a set.
Barcelona
The following month in April, Alcaraz repeated the accomplishment as he defended the title he won in 2022 at the Barcelona Open with five strong wins.
The Spaniard eased to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Nuno Borges in his first match and prevailed 6-3, 7-5 against Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round.
Alcaraz then claimed a hard-fought 7-6(5), 6-4 success against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the quarter-finals, before comfortably dispatching Dan Evans 6-2, 6-2 in the last four.
The top seed completed his title run at the clay-court ATP 500 tournament with a routine 6-3, 6-4 triumph in the final over No 2 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Frances Tiafoe – Houston
At the beginning of April, Frances Tiafoe became the first player to win a clay-court ATP title without losing a set in 2023 with his victory at the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships in Houston.
The American defeated wildcard Steve Johnson 6-2, 6-4 in the second round, sixth seed Jason Kubler 6-4, 6-4 in the last eight, and the unseeded Gijs Brouwer 6-4, 6-1 in the semi-finals.
In the title match at the 250-level event, the 25-year-old faced by far his toughest test against eighth seed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, but earned a 7-6(1), 7-6(6) win to secure his first title in over five years.
Tomás Etcheverry🇦🇷 le dio batalla a Tiafoe🇺🇸 pero cayó por doble 7-6 en la final de Houston. Segunda definición para el platense de 23 años en 2023, las primeras de su carrera, tras la derrota vs Jarry en Santiago. pic.twitter.com/ylqmMXF9rT
— VarskySports (@VarskySports) April 10, 2023
Alexander Zverev – Hamburg
Alexander Zverev was the last man to claim a tournament victory without dropping a single set this year with his title run at the Hamburg European Open in July.
The German kicked off his campaign at the ATP 500 clay-court tournament by hammering Alex Molcan 6-0, 6-3 in the second round. He then downed wildcard Maximilian Marterer 6-3, 7-5 in his second match.
The fourth seed saw off French duo Luca Van Assche (6-3, 6-4) and Fils (6-2, 6-4) in convincing fashion in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
In the final, Zverev defeated a fifth unseeded player as he overcame Laslo Djere 7-5, 6-3 to seal a dominant run and win his first title since 2021.
