Jannik Sinner, Ayrna Sabalenka conquer Cincinnati
Cincinnati, August 20
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner and women’s No. 2 Ayrna Sabalenka earned straight-set victories in the finals of the Cincinnati Open, the first titles at the tournament for both players.
Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula 6-3 7-5 for her first title since the Australian Open in January.
Sinner, who turned 23 on Friday, beat American Frances Tiafoe 7-6(4) 6-2 to become the youngest Cincinnati champion since 21-year-old Andy Murray won in 2008.
“I’m very happy to be in the position where I am,” Sinner said. “I’m just trying to keep going this way mentally. It’s important to recover to be ready for New York. That’s the most important thing.”
The US Open begins on August 26 in New York.
Sinner and Tiafoe were both playing in their first Cincinnati finals with their previous best results being the third round.
Tiafoe forced a tiebreak in the first set, but three straight errors cost him the set. Sinner had a 5-1 lead in the second before Tiafoe saved three match points to make it 5-2 before Sinner was able to serve out for the win. An American man hasn’t won the title in Cincinnati since Andy Roddick in 2006.
Sabalenka moved up a spot to No. 2 in the rankings before the match, then didn’t lose a set en route to her 15th WTA title. She had never got past the semifinals at Cincinnati, losing three times in that round.
The 26-year-old can now be considered a favourite at the US Open. The Belarusian missed Wimbledon with a shoulder injury, then returned to the tour at Washington two weeks ago.
“I would say that I’m really playing great tennis,” Sabalenka said. “Probably not the best tennis I can play but I’m definitely getting there. Hopefully at the US Open I can reach even higher levels.”
