CINCINNATI. Jannik Sinner defeated the German Alexander Zverev in three sets 7-6 (11-9), 5-7, 7-6 in the semifinal of the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. At the end of an intense and hard-fought match, the world number one took the victory saving two set points in the tie-break of the first set, interrupted by the rain while the Italian was leading 3-2.
Sinner thus becomes the first Italian to qualify for the Cincinnati final. He will play his fifth career Masters 1000 final, the second this year after his victory in Miami. He will face the winner of the other semifinal, between the Dane Rune and the American Tiafoe.
“It was a tough match, a very emotional match,” Sinner said after the match. “We played in different conditions: sun, rain and then night. “There was a lot of tension for both of us. I’m very happy with my performance and happy to be in the final. I had to play with my instinct, I feel that’s my strength,” said the Italian tennis player. “We had ups and downs in three hours” of the match.
“I couldn’t have played a better match than this to prepare,” he said, referring to the start of the US Open in eight days. Sinner, who has recently suffered from a hip injury, the flu and tonsillitis that forced him to miss the Olympics, said he needs to stay in shape. “If I want to win the big matches, I have to be in better shape. Today I stayed mentally strong and I’m proud of that.”
2024-08-19 18:56:26