Jannik Sinner Claims His Fifth Title Of The Season At The Cincinnati Open

Jannik Sinner defeated Frances Tiafoe who was looking for his maiden Masters 1000 title in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-2 in an hour and 36 minutes to claim his fifth crown of the season. The world number one is perfect in his finals appearance this year. His four previous titles this season came at the Australian Open, Miami Masters, Rotterdam and Halle Open. 

© Cincinnati Open

It was a very rough week for the Italian, both mentally and physically, as he had tough matches en-route to the finals after coming back from tonsillitis and hip issues. He played the number six seed Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals, winning from a set down. Then, he played the third seed Alexander Zverev in the semifinals in three tight sets taking over 3 hours to finally secure his spot in the finals. 

It was not an easy match in the finals against the American, as Tiafoe fought hard in the opening set, pushing to a tie-break. However, errors crept into the American’s game in the second set, and Sinner took those chances to lead with 2 breaks, closing out the match quickly. 

It has been an amazing season for Sinner as he continues to be the winning machine and player to beat. He will be looking to recover and prepare well for the US Open, which is the final Grand Slam of the year.

Frances Tiafoe had a pretty good couple of weeks himself. He is one of the few who was able to stay healthy and fit in the arduous tour schedule. He is now playing a lot better compared to the last couple of months after a change in his coaching team and opting out of the Olympic Games. Tiafoe’s performance at this event will move him back into the top 20. Although he was unable to win his maiden masters title, he is looking good to make a deep run at the US Open in the coming week.