Jannik Sinner admits what he found ‘strange’ about the final in Cincinnati against Frances Tiafoe

Follow us on Google Discover

Jannik Sinner shared his thoughts on what was unusual about the Cincinnati Open final.

The Italian won the tournament for the first time on Monday by beating home favourite Frances Tiafoe in straight sets.

This is the second Masters 1000 title that Sinner has won this season and he has five titles overall, including the Australian Open.

There have been doubts surrounding Sinner’s health and fitness this season, but he has put those doubts to rest ahead of trying to win his first US Open title. 

What does Jannik Sinner say about the change to the 2024 Cincinnati Open final?

Jannik Sinner battled through the Cincinnati Open to reach the final, where he defeated Tiafoe 7-6(4), 6-2.

He came through tight back-to-back three set matches with Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev to reach the championship match, which was played on a Monday.

This deviated from the usual day of Sunday, which the 23-year-old found strange to adjust to.

“I mean it’s going to be three weeks between Canada and here, so it’s going to be different. The final is also a Monday, so that’s a bit strange,” he told reporters during his post-match press conference.

“Next year is going to be the final in Toronto and will be on a Wednesday. It’s going to be a bit different I don’t think yet about next year. It’s going to be fine. One year to go, it’s a long year, let’s see what’s coming.”

How did Jannik Sinner beat Frances Tiafoe to win the Cincinnati Open?

The first set was decided on a tiebreak after no player squandered a break of serve.

After Sinner clinched it to go up a set, he stepped up his baseline game that Tiafoe simply had no answer for.

The American missed a forehand which gave Sinner the first break of the match in the opening game of the second set.

That released Sinner who put his foot on the accelerator and cruised to a very satisfying victory. “It has been a tough week, some ups and downs, which is normal to have,” he said. “But how I handled the very important moments in each match, I’m very happy.”