Jannik Sinner tops Frances Tiafoe in Cincinnati, wins third Masters

World no. 1 Jannik Sinner is the champion in Cincinnati! The young Italian clinched his third Masters 1000 crown in Ohio following a 7-6, 6-2 triumph over Frances Tiafoe in an hour and 36 minutes. Thus, Sinner secured his 15th ATP title and extended the gap over Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the ATP ranking list.

Jannik survived two challenging encounters against Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev and stood as the favorite against Frances in the title clash. The Italian claimed a tight opener and grabbed two breaks in set number two en route 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, mounting the pressure on the other side. Tiafoe endured it in the opener before losing ground in set number two, finishing runner-up in front of the home fans and gaining a boost ahead of the US Open.

The American faced eight break points, fending off a set point at 5-6 in the opening set and struggling behind the initial shot in the second.

Jannik controlled his strokes nicely, landing 29 winners and 24 unforced errors and firing nearly 30 service winners. World no. 1 experienced two break points in the first game of the encounter. He denied them with service winners and held, avoiding an early setback.

They served well in the upcoming games, with Tiafoe landing a service winner in game eight for 4-4 after swift 25 minutes. Sinner played against the third break point in the ninth game. He saved it after Frances’ loose forehand and held, remaining on the positive side.

The American produced another fine hold while serving to stay in the set in the tenth game, wishing for more at 5-6. The Italian made his first push on the return in the 12th game and claimed an extended rally for his first break point of the match.

Frances saved it with a…