Alcaraz understands he has to go to a different place to get the better of Sinner, who was on a 26-match winning streak going into the Rome final.

The 22-year-old Spaniard, a gifted and sometimes flashy shot-maker, can sometimes lose focus or discipline on court.

But there was none of that in a disciplined performance against Sinner.

“If I don’t play at my best it’s going to be impossible to beat him,” Alcaraz said afterwards.

“That’s why I’m more focused when I’m playing against him, or I feel a little bit different when I’m going to face him.”

It was a final many in the sport wanted, one everybody was excited about.

And it was another tantalising reminder of how the Alcaraz and Sinner rivalry – which the ATP Tour has long pinned its hopes on filling the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic void – could be a blockbuster for years to come.

“I’m not going to say I’m feeling like when Rafa and Roger are playing,” Alcaraz added.

“But I’m feeling like it is a different energy when we are facing each other than other players.”

Roll on Roland Garros – where the smart money would go on the top two seeds meeting again in the French Open men’s final.