In a stunning display of power and precision, Jannik Sinner retained his Australian Open title with an emphatic 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory over Alexander Zverev on Sunday. The world No. 1 broke new ground for Italian tennis, becoming the first Italian player to win three Grand Slam crowns, surpassing Nicola Pietrangeli's record.
The 23-year-old's dominant performance under the floodlights of Rod Laver Arena underscored his status as the pre-eminent hardcourt player in the game today. A year after his thrilling five-set triumph over Daniil Medvedev for his first major trophy, Sinner left no room for drama this time, wearing down his German rival with relentless pressure and clinical execution.
\"It was an amazing performance from my side,\" Sinner said after the match. \"I want to enjoy this one. This one has a different feeling and means so much to me.\" The victory extends his winning streak to 21 matches, further cementing his position at the pinnacle of men's tennis.
\"Many, many things happen off the court, what you maybe don't know,\" he added. \"When I go on the court, even if sometimes it's very difficult to block these kind of things, I have the team and people who are close to me who trust me.\"
For Zverev, the result marked his third defeat in a Grand Slam final, a bitter blow that left him visibly emotional during the trophy presentation. \"First of all, it sucks standing here next to this thing and not being able to touch it,\" the German said, referring to the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup. \"Congrats to Jannik, you're the best player in the world by far. I was hoping that I could be more of a competitor today but you're too good. I don't know if I'll ever be able to lift the trophy but I'll keep coming back, I'll keep trying.\"
In the women's doubles final, top seeds Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic and Taylor Townsend of the United States triumphed over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and Hsieh Su-wei of Chinese Taipei with a 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3 victory to claim the title.
Reference(s):
Ruthless Sinner downs Zverev to retain Australian Open title
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