Italy’s Jannik Sinner defeated Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 in the Australian Open men’s final on Sunday.
The victory gave Sinner his second consecutive Australian Open title. He also became the first Italian to win three Grand Slams, surpassing Nicola Pietrangeli’s two Grand Slams.
“We worked very hard to be in this position again. It’s an amazing feeling to share this moment with all of you,” Sinner said, referring to his team of coaches.
But he also had words of consolation for Zverev. “A tough day for you. You’re an amazing player,” Sinner said. “Keep working hard because we all believe you can pick one of these up very soon.”
Sinner climbed to number one. Last June 1st and have been there every week since. The difference between him and No. 2 Zverev was noticeable in the Australian Open final.
Painful loss for Zverev
The defeat was tragic for Zverev, who fell in his third major final. The German is still one of the best tennis players in the world who has yet to taste Grand Slam glory.
“Standing here next to this thing (the trophy) and not being able to touch it sucks, I’ll be honest,” Zverev said.
He added, “But congratulations to Janik. You deserve it. You are the best player in the world so far.”
On Saturday, Madison Keys of the United States won her first Grand Slam title by defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the Australian Open women’s final.
dh/nm (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
