Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner made sure his win over tournament favourite Novak Djokovic was no fluke as he battled from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday in the men's singles final at the Australian Open. He’s the first Italian to win the Australian Open title in what could be a generational shift in tennis. (More Tennis News)
The match that lasted three hours and 44 minutes, saw Sinner fight tooth and nail to clinch his maiden Grand Slam over Medvedev, who himself will be bitterly dissapointed. The Russian third seed has now lost a second Australian Open final after two sets up, following from his defeat to Rafael Nadal in 2022.
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Sinner, 22, is the third youngest player to win the men's singles title at the Australian Open since 1988 (when the tournament moved to Melbourne Park), older only than Novak Djokovic in 2008 and Jim Courier in 1992.
Sinner didn’t give Djokovic a look at a breakpoint as he ended the 10-time Australian Open champion’s 33-match unbeaten streak at Melbourne Park dating to 2018.
Against Medvedev, though, he was in trouble early. Medvedev broke in the third game and took the first set in 36 minutes. He had two more service breaks in the fourth and sixth games of the second set but was broken himself at 5-1 trying to serve it out. He was successful next try.
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The third set went with serve until the 10th game, when Medvedev was a point from leveling at 5-5 until three forehand errors gave Sinner the set, and the momentum.
He won the fourth set, again with a service break in the 10th game, recovering immediately to win three points after mis-hitting a forehand so far out that it shocked the Rod Laver Arena crowd.
And so the tournament equaled a Grand Slam Open era record set at the 1983 U.S. Open with a 35th match going to five sets.
In the sixth game of the fifth set, Sinner had triple breakpoint against a fatiguing Medvedev. He missed with his first chance but converted with his next, a forehand winner, for a 4-2 lead. From there, he didn’t give Medvedev another chance.
(With AP inputs)
