TORONTO – Jannik Sinner stayed “mentally calm” to come up third-time lucky in a Masters 1000 final on Sunday as he won the Toronto title 6-4, 6-1 over Alex de Minaur.
The seventh seed became only the second Italian to lift a trophy in the elite series, following Fabio Fognini, champion at Monte Carlo four years ago.
Sinner lost a pair of Masters finals in Miami in 2021 and last April but could not contain his enthusiasm after storming past his Australian opponent in 90 minutes.
Sinner, who turns 22, on Wednesday improved to 12-0 versus Australians dating to the 2021 US Open. “I’m getting used to the difficult situations,” he said. “Twice in the first set, I was up a break and he broke back.
“But I stayed calm mentally, I was prepared for a long battle.
“I’m happy with how I reacted. In the second set, I played better and tried to be more aggressive.”
The Wimbledon semi-finalist added: “It was tough today with the wind, I’m happy with my level today. This makes you feel like you are doing the right thing.”
He will rise to sixth in the world as a result of his Canadian success. He won his eighth career trophy and improved to a perfect 5-0 over de Minaur.
Sinner tried and failed twice in the opening set to hold on to breaks, only to drop serve in the following game to de Minaur. But he found form just in time, firing an ace to lead 5-4 and finishing off the set in 54 minutes on his first chance on his opponent’s error.
The second set was one-way traffic for Sinner, who closed out victory on his second match point.
Sinner is the youngest Toronto winner since Alexander Zverev, who was 20 in 2017. He stands 18-4 at the Masters level this year.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, 20, has put his quarter-final loss in Toronto behind him as he prepares to renew his rivalry with Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati this week.
The Spanish world No. 1 made a surprisingly early exit in Canada, bundled out in the last eight by Tommy Paul in three sets to end a lacklustre campaign.
But he was in no mood to dwell on that loss on Sunday as he looked ahead to the Cincinnati Masters, the last warm-up before he launches the defence of his US Open crown later this month.
The tournament in the Midwest carries added intrigue with a field that contains 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic.
The pair last met in the Wimbledon final, with Alcaraz prevailing in a five-set classic. Djokovic has not played since that July 8 defeat, and Alcaraz cannot wait to lock horns with the Serb once again.
“I like those battles. I like to know that I can lose, and I can recover it at the same time,” he said on Sunday.
“You must enjoy (it) when the battle is against one of the legends from our sport, against Novak.
“I feel I’m (the) main opponent; for me, it’s something crazy, and I’m trying to enjoy.”
Alcaraz got caught out on Friday in Toronto as he lost to American Paul. But the bitter taste did not linger long.
“The main goal is to stay in the top spot,” he said. “And if I lose it, try to recover it as fast as I can.”
He added that his recent Canadian setback should remain a distant – if unpleasant – memory.
“It wasn’t a good week for me, a lot of things to improve coming into this tournament.
“Last year, I lost (Montreal first round) and then (Cincinnati quarters) – and then I won the US Open.
“I have to overcome the week I had in Toronto, try to play better here and try to do better the things that I did bad in Toronto.”
Djokovic, 36, is returning to the United States for the first time in two years after being denied entry due to being unvaccinated for Covid-19. The three-time US Open champion said: “There’s still that drive and motivation to try to win titles... If I’m not motivated, I wouldn’t be here.” AFP
