Two clashes in the past month. Two superb showdowns.

If Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz's past two battles are any indication, there is plenty to be excited about for the future.

Just weeks after defeating Alcaraz at Wimbledon, the Italian on Sunday surged past his fellow #NextGenATP star 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1 to capture the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag title and take a 2-1 lead in their budding ATP Head2Head rivalry.

"Playing against Carlos is never easy," Sinner said of Alcaraz, who climbed to a career-high No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday. "He is an incredible player. He's showed that already so many times."

It was a big win for Sinner, and not just because it was against Alcaraz, for whom he has the utmost respect. Entering the week, the 20-year-old had not reached a semi-final this year.

The Italian left Umag with his sixth ATP Tour trophy. With that said, Sinner does not plan on rejoicing in this victory for too long. He is hungry for more.

“I’m very happy to be finally lifting a trophy this year, but I know that I still have a lot of things to improve,” Sinner said. “It’s all about the process.”