Jannik Sinner defeats Frances Tiafoe in Cincinnati to win third Masters 1000 title

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is the champion in Cincinnati! The young Italian claimed his third Masters 1000 crown in Ohio after a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Frances Tiafoe in one hour and 36 minutes. With that, Sinner secured his 15th ATP title and increased the gap with Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the ATP rankings.

Jannik survived two challenging encounters against Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev and was the favourite against Frances in the title race. The Italian claimed a thrilling opening match, taking two breaks in set number two on his way to a trophy, his fifth of the season.

Sinner landed 13 aces and dropped 11 points in ten service games. He saved three break points in the opening set and served well in the second, piling on the pressure on the other side. Tiafoe held on in the opener before losing ground in the second set, finishing second in front of the home crowd and gaining a boost for the US Open.

The American faced eight break points, managed to fend off a set point at 5-6 in the first set and had difficulty with the first shot in the second set.

Jannik controlled his strokes well, landing 29 winners and 24 unforced errors and shooting almost 30 service winners. The world number 1 faced two break points in the first game of the encounter. He denied them with service winners and held on, preventing an early setback.

They served well in the next few games, with Tiafoe landing a service winner in game eight to level the score at 4-4 after a quick 25 minutes. Sinner was facing the third break point in the ninth game. He saved Frances’ loose forehand and held on, staying on the positive side.

The American produced another fine hold as he served to stay in the set in the tenth game, hoping for more at 5-6. The Italian made his first push on the return in the 12th game, claiming an extended rally for his first break point of the match.

Frances saved the ball with a service winner to set up a tiebreak.

Jannik Sinner won his first Cincinnati Masters title.

Jannik hit a forehand along the line to score the 2-1, but made a backhand error on the fifth point.

They served well in the next four points, with the Italian leading 5-4. Tiafoe missed a forehand in the tenth point, trailing 6-4 and giving Sinner two set points. The world No. 1 seized the first after his rival’s backhand error, deciding the opener in 55 minutes and gathering confidence.

Frances lost three game points early in the second set and was given a break point after a loose drop shot and Jannik’s backhand crosscourt winner. The Italian drew the American’s mistake, which allowed her to secure a break and move closer to the finish.

Jannik served well in the second and fourth games and threw a winning serve for 3-1. Tiafoe had more problems with the first stroke in the fifth game, losing game points and falling on the third break point after Sinner’s forehand along the line that was the winning serve.

The world No. 1 leveled the match in the sixth game, scoring winning service results to open a 5-1 lead.

Frances made sure she stayed in the match in the seventh game with her serve and offered Jannik three match points after she missed a slice.

The American stepped in and denied them, reaching deuce and holding on after his rival’s error to extend the match. Serving for his first Cincinnati Masters title at 5-1, Sinner drew Tiafoe’s forehand error for three more match points.

The Italian grabbed the first with a service winner to seal the deal and celebrate his third Masters 1000 crown at the age of 23. Jannik came to Cincinnati after losing in the quarterfinals in Montreal. The world No. 1 still feels the pain in his troubled right hip, but he kept up his efforts in Ohio on his way to the trophy.

Sinner defeated Alex Michelsen in the second round, winning with a late break in the second set. Jordan Thompson gave him a walkover in the third round, allowing the world’s best player to advance to the quarterfinals.

Just like a week ago, Jannik faced Andrey and narrowly won 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 in just under two and a half hours.

Sinner was trailing 4-3 in the second set when Rublev created two break chances that could have sent him over the top. The Italian denied them and later delivered a break, stole the set and forced a deciding set. Jannik took three breaks in a row at the start of the final set and sealed the deal with a nice hold in the tenth game.

Sinner had another thrilling battle against Alexander Zverev, beating the German 7-6, 5-7, 7-6 in three hours and seven minutes! Zverev led 5-3 in the opener and had two set points in the tiebreak, which he squandered, allowing Sinner to steal the breaker.

The German seized a late break in the second set to force a deciding set, and they created no break chances in the final stages of the match. Sinner took the tie-tie break 7-4, advanced to the final and lifted the trophy.