Jannik Sinner Clinches 5th Title of the Year with Victory Over Frances Tiafoe at Cincinnati Masters
World No. 1 Jannik Sinner’s incredible 2024 campaign continued on a high note with his fifth victory of the year in Cincinnati Open 2024.
Sinner emerged victorious from the esteemed Masters 1000 tournament on Monday night, defeating American sensation Frances Tiafoe in straight sets, 7-6/4, 6-2.
The world No. 1 has won two Masters 1000 championships (Cincinnati and Miami), two ATP 500 titles (Rotterdam and Halle), one Grand Slam trophy (Australian Open), and now has five titles overall this year. He has also extended his perfect record in finals play to five games.
With the Australian Open, Miami, and Cincinnati Masters 1000 wins, the world No. 1 has already won two ATP 500 titles, two Grand Slam titles, and two ATP 500 titles this year (Rotterdam and Halle).
Additionally, he raises his perfect record to 5-0 in the finals this year.
And since losing the opening two sets to Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open final, he has now won 11 straight final sets.
JANNIK SINNER IN FINALS IN 2024 (5-0):
1. Medvedev in Australian Open F, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3
2. De Minaur in Rotterdam F, 7-5, 6-4
3. Dimitrov in Miami F, 6-3, 6-1
4. Hurkacz in Halle F, 7-6 (8), 7-6 (2)
5. Tiafoe in Cincinnati F, 7-6 (4), 6-2
Given his difficult journey to the final over the weekend, Sinner’s triumph over Tiafoe on Monday is even more remarkable.
In the quarterfinals on Saturday, he defeated world No. 6 Andrey Rublev 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, forcing him to serve to stay in the match twice in the second set. On Sunday, in the semifinals, he defeated world No. 4 Alexander Zverev 7-6 (9), 5-7, 7-6 (4), again forcing him to serve to stay in the match twice in the third set, at 4-5 and 5-6.
After defeating Tiafoe in the first set, which lasted 55 minutes, he was able to exert more pressure. He broke early in the second set to take a 2-0 lead, broke again for a 4-1 lead, and eventually served out the match a few games later.
Sinner finished with more than twice as many winners—29 compared to 13—but both players had the same total number of unforced errors—24 to 24.
“It was a really challenging week,” Sinner remarked afterward.
“You know, I’m thrilled with the game we played today. Mentally, it was really difficult. He had such a fantastic run here, and today I simply tried to give it my all. Although yesterday had left us both extremely exhausted, I’m pleased with my performance, particularly in the crucial situations.
It was a historic week for Tiafoe, as he not only won his 200th career match in the quarterfinals but also advanced to the biggest final of his career with his thrilling semifinal triumph over Holger Rune on Sunday night. Once ranked No. 10, the American will now make a comeback to the Top 20 upon the release of the latest ATP rankings.
