Cincinnati, 19 August 2024 (TDI): To get to the Cincinnati Open final, world no. 1 Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev in a thrilling three-set match.
To win a 7-6 (11-9) 5-7 7-6 (7-4) semifinal match, top-seeded Sinner needed three hours and seven minutes.
Despite facing a hip issue, the 23-year-old Italian managed to get to the final despite having lost all four of his previous matches against German Zverev.
On Monday at around 23:00 BST, Jannik Sinner will take on American Frances Tiafoe in an attempt to win his fifth ATP Tour championship of the year.
In the other semi-final, Tiafoe, 26, defeated Denmark’s 15th-seeded Holger Rune 4-6 6-1 7-6 (7-4).
After an intense rain-shortened match between himself and 27-year-old Zverev, Sinner acknowledged that he still needs to improve his conditioning.
“I obviously need to get in better physical form if I want to win Grand Slams or more prestigious titles, but I’m proud of myself for having just attempted to stay there mentally. Now, let’s see what happens [on Monday].” he stated.
When the US Open begins in New York on August 26, Sinner hopes to capture his second major title of the year.
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Zverev won the second set and went on to win the third set 5–4. He had previously lost the first set on a tie-break.
To force a second tie-break, Sinner, ranked fourth in the world, came back and won three of the following four games. To get to victory, he twice broke Zverev’s serve.
“There are moments when you have to err on the side of caution. And I believe that was my strength tonight. I believe that it was a fantastic fit for us both. I’m really proud of him because he served me so well.” Jannik Sinner remarked.
