The promises made by Jannik Sinner at the end of last season have been kept, and in what way! At the end of a completely crazy Australian Open final, the Italian dominated Daniil Medvedev after a formidable comeback. Trailing two sets to zero after 1h25, he won 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3, in 3h44. At the age of 22, he won his first Major title, the third for an Italian player, after Nicola Pietrangeli (Roland-Garros, 1959-1960) and Adriano Panatta (Roland-Garros, 1976). Medvedev, for his part, suffered his fifth failure in six Grand Slam finals and relived his nightmare of 2022 in Melbourne, where he saw Rafael Nadal also overcome a two-set handicap.
5
Daniil Medvedev has lost five of the six Grand Slam finals he has played in. His only victory remains the 2021 US Open, where he deprived Novak Djokovic of the calendar Grand Slam.
The most frustrating thing for him is that he attacked his match in the best possible way. By going against all tactical forecasts. Rarely have we seen him so aggressive from the first two strokes of the racket. He had obviously prepared his case well and decided to deprive Sinner of time and oxygen. We have never seen him so much in net. He was constantly moving forward. Caught by the throat, Sinner gave up his serve twice (6-3). Masterful in serving, the Russian had served 86% of firsts and slammed 6 aces. His 14 unforced errors were only the fair consequence of his risk-taking.
2
Jannik Sinner signed the second comeback from two zero sets of his career. The first time was already in Melbourne last year against Marton Fucsovics.
Sinner almost miraculously saved four break points in the second game but broke down in the fourth. Impeccable in his commitment, the Russian won his first 3 shutouts. After 1h05, he already led 6-3, 4-1. Sinner was living a nightmare and couldn’t find any solution. Solid on his bases and faithful to his intentions, Medvedev sealed the 2nd set with a forehand attack (6-3, 6-3). As against Nadal two years ago, he was only one set away from happiness.
Sinner relied on his forehand
But Sinner did not give up. Better still, his tennis was gradually regaining color. In a third set masterfully handled by the servers, the first break, at 5-4 in their favor, was a set point. Which the Italian converted by pushing his rival to make a mistake with a forehand. After 2 hours and 10 minutes, he was a third of the way there.
22
At 22 years and 165 days, Sinner became the youngest winner of the Australian Open since 2008, when Novak Djokovic lifted the trophy at 20 years and 250 days.
Sinner increased his pressure from the start of the fourth set. His legs and arm were going much faster than at the start of the game. He thus obtained two break points (at 1-0, then 2-1) but Medvedev dismissed them. In a round that he generally dominated, the Italian only had one alert, at 3 all, where he saved a break point thanks to an ace. But his end of the set was uncompromising. Faced with a player who was picking more and more physically, he relied on his forehand to pocket the set. The specter of the famous defeat against Nadal hovered over the Rod Laver Arena.
10
Sinner has won 10 of his last 11 matches against members of the top 5. Only Novak Djokovic dominated him in the final of the last Masters.
Having played almost six hours less than Medvedev over the entire fortnight, Sinner was logically the physically freshest. From now on, he had the upper hand. Visibly overcooked, the Russian rushed during the sixth game of the last round and made too many errors. His twenty-four hours spent on the court weighed too heavily. Break in hand (4-2), the 4th in the world held the course with the authority of an old veteran. At 5-3, a splendid forehand winner sent him to heaven.
2024-01-28 12:33:42
#Jannik #Sinner #wins #Australian #Open #holds #Grand #Slam
