On his 24th birthday, defending champion Jannik Sinner continued his impressive run at the Cincinnati Open against French player Atmane, who advanced from the qualifying rounds to the semifinals. Sinner did not face a single break point throughout the match, winning 91% of his first-serve points and needing only 86 minutes to secure his place in his eighth Masters 1000 final.
This match also marked Sinner's 200th hard-court victory on the ATP Tour, extending his winning streak on hard courts to 26.
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Sinner retrieves a shot during his victory over Atmane at Center Court, Cincinnati Open, Ohio, USA on 16/8. Photo: Reuters |
Sinner retrieves a shot during his victory over Atmane at Center Court, Cincinnati Open, Ohio, USA on 16/8. Photo: Reuters
Atmane surprised Sinner, but it was before the match. Just before stepping onto the court, the world number 136 presented Sinner with a Pokemon card from his collection. The Pikachu card made Sinner laugh with delight in the tunnel before the two players embraced and began the match.
The gift seemed to make Sinner less ruthless in the first set, which he only won after a 7-4 tie-break, partly because his opponent held serve so effectively. Things became easier for Sinner in the second set, as he broke serve twice to finish the match 7-6, 6-2.
Sinner's opponent in the final is rival Alcaraz, who defeated Zverev in straight sets to level their head-to-head record at 6-6. Alcaraz was down 0-40 on his serve in the first set, with the score at 1-2. After saving those break points, he won the first set 6-4, before Zverev appeared to struggle physically and quickly lost the second set 3-6.
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Alcaraz volleys during his victory over Zverev at Center Court, Cincinnati Open, Ohio, USA on 16/8. Photo: Reuters |
Alcaraz volleys during his victory over Zverev at Center Court, Cincinnati Open, Ohio, USA on 16/8. Photo: Reuters
This is Alcaraz's seventh ATP final of the year. He also leads the tour in wins this season (53), including 16 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level. Since the beginning of April, Alcaraz has won 38 of 40 matches. At 22, he is the third-youngest player to reach nine Masters 1000 finals, after Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
After facing each other in the finals at Rome, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon, Alcaraz and Sinner will meet again in the Cincinnati Open final, which will take place at 2h Tuesday 19/8 (Hanoi time).
Vy Anh
