Masterful Sinner Flashes No. 1 Form in Taking Cincy Title  

By Richard Osborn

Add the Cincinnati Open crown to Jannik Sinner’s growing list of accomplishments in 2024: To his breakthrough at the Australian Open (where he became only the second Italian man in the Open Era to win a major singles title); to his rise to No. 1 (he’s the first Italian to do so in singles since the computerized rankings were introduced in 1973); to his tour-best title count, which already included trophies in Melbourne, Rotterdam, Miami and Halle.

On Monday night at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, the top-seeded Sinner claimed his second ATP Masters 1000 title of the year in dominating fashion with a 7-6(4), 6-2 victory over American Frances Tiafoe in one hour and 36 minutes.

Sinner, who celebrated his 23rd birthday on Friday, became the youngest tournament champion since Great Britain’s Andy Murray captured the title in 2008 at the age of 21.

“It was a very difficult week, a tough week,” said Sinner. “I’m very happy about today’s match. He had such an amazing run here. We both were quite tired from yesterday. We both felt a lot of tension, but I’m glad about my level today, especially in the important moments.”

Tiafoe was contesting the biggest match of his career, having saved two match points against Holger Rune to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final. Now 3-18 versus Top-5 competition, he was hoping to become the first American ATP Masters 1000 champion since Taylor Fritzat Indian Wells in 2022.

Despite the setback, Tiafoe called the tournament “the best week of my career so far.”

“I can’t be anything else but insanely happy for the effort I had all week,” he said. “Tennis is a funny sport, man. It’s been a really tough year since the US Open. Since I made the quarters there last year, I’ve taken the game for granted, didn’t have much gratitude, changed coaches, trying to figure myself out. I’m in a great situation now being able to make a final of a Masters and had a chance to win it. I couldn’t be happier. I beat a bunch of quality players.”

In reaching the final, Tiafoe ensured that there will be five American men in the Top 20 for the first time since 1999: Tiafoe, Fritz, Tommy Paul, Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda.

Even amidst all his achievements this year, Sinner’s form this week came as somewhat of a surprise. A hip injury appeared to limit his movement at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and he sat out the Paris Olympics with a case of tonsillitis. Even in his semifinal 7-6(9), 5-7, 7-6(4) triumph over Alexander Zverev in Cincinnati, arguably the match of the tournament, he occasionally grasped his hip.

“For sure, sometimes I feel it,” he said. “I have to understand exactly what it is at the moment, because I feel like it’s a different small issue than it was before. But I have to check it after this tournament. It’s not bad. I’m not worried yet.”

And so off to Flushing Meadows and the US Open Jannik Sinner goes, his pursuers still chasing the No. 1 player in the world.  

“There’s a little bit of a different pressure,” he said. “But in my mind, I know that I still have to improve some things against certain players where I struggle a lot. This is always in my mind in every practice session, that I have to improve, what I have to improve, trying to understand what works best in each situation. This keep you waking up in the morning trying to get better. I’m glad that these players are there making you try to find the solutions.”