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What is the story
Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner has secured his place in the final of the Cincinnati Open after a thrilling victory over world number one Alexander Zverev.
The match ended with a score of 7-6 (11/9), 5-7, 7-6 (7/4) in favor of Sinner.
This victory represents a significant turnaround for Sinner, who had previously lost four of five matches against Zverev; his only previous victory dates back to the Roland Garros tournament four years ago.
A look at the game statistics
Sinner scored a total of 124 points and 80 service wins throughout the match. He served 12 aces compared to Zverev’s 15.
Sinner won 64 percent of his points on second serves, compared to 53 percent for Zverev.
Notably, Zverev would have risen to second place in the PIF ATP rankings had he won the title.
Sinner’s victory over Zverev: A match of endurance and skill
The match, which lasted over three hours, was interrupted by rain during the tiebreak in the first set.
Despite this setback and an early break loss in the second set, Sinner managed to fend off two set points from Zverev and win the first set on the third attempt.
In the final set, Sinner took a 5-2 lead in the tiebreak before securing victory with his second match point.
Sinner reflects on his performance and the upcoming final
After his victory, Sinner expressed his satisfaction with his performance and was looking forward to the final.
“It was a tough, very exciting game,” he said. “We played under different conditions: sun, rain and then night. There was a lot of tension between us both.”
In the final he will now face Frances Tiafoe, who won the second semi-final against 15th seeded Dane Holger Rune.
Sinner’s physical challenges and determination
Despite recent health problems such as hip problems, illness and tonsillitis that forced him to miss the Olympics, Sinner showed remarkable resilience.
He admitted that he needed to improve his fitness, saying: “If I want to win bigger games, I need to be fitter.”
Despite physical discomfort during the match against Zverev, he managed to stay mentally strong and secure his place in the final of the Cincinnati Open.
