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World number one Jannik Sinner beats Frances Tiafoe 7-6(4) 6-2 in the final of the Cincinnati Open | Photo credit: Reuters
World number one Jannik Sinner showed he will be tough to beat at the upcoming US Open despite his recent health struggles by beating Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (4) 6-2 in the Cincinnati Open final on Monday.
The 23-year-old, who has been battling a hip problem for the past few months and also missed the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis, made mistakes early in the match and limped off after several points in the first set.
But he held his own in the tiebreak, holding off the American’s powerful serve on set point and Tiafoe’s next shot went wide, giving the Italian the chance to score first.
Tiafoe, who has struggled to find momentum and wins this season, couldn’t convert three break point opportunities in the first set and raced into a 2-0 lead in the second from which he never recovered.
Sinner took a 4-1 lead in the second set with a forehand winner and closed out the victory with an unreturnable serve on match point.
Sinner’s win at the Masters 1000 event comes after he won a Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January and is his fifth title this year and his first at the tournament held in Ohio.
Crucially, Sinner has now shown he can win even when not 100% healthy, a trait he may have to use at Flushing Meadows, where defending champion Novak Djokovic and world number three Carlos Alcaraz are the other favourites.
Tiafoe will move up to No. 20 in the world and carry confidence into the upcoming US Open, where he was a semifinalist in 2022, after a three-set win over Dane Holger Rune in Sunday’s semifinal.
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