Sinner outpaces Tiafoe for Cincinnati Open crown, secures 15th Career Title

Jannik Sinner secured his 5th title of the year after defeating Frances Tiafoe at the Cincinnati Open. The Italian once again lifted a Masters 1000 tournament, his second of the year and third of his career, after an impeccable 7-6(4), 6-2 victory.

The American was more than a worthy competitor during the first set, creating opportunities and putting Sinner under pressure, but the world No. 1 stepped on the gas in the second set, and Big Foe couldn’t keep up, allowing Sinner to secure the title.

In the first set, Tiafoe quickly generated two break points in his favor, but he couldn’t capitalize on them. Nevertheless, he immediately showed the same quality of service he had all week and kept pace with Sinner, with neither player able to break serve for long periods.

The world No. 1, in fact, hit 10 aces and won 83% of his points on the first serve, compared to Tiafoe’s 5 aces and 76% of points won on the first serve. In the 9th game, Tiafoe once again had a break point but couldn’t convert it, while on his own serve, he faced a set point at 5-6 down, ultimately sending the set to a tiebreak.

With the match mainly consisting of short points due to the speed of the court, both players showed their best level in the tiebreak, where most of the long points of the set were played. However, the Italian managed to pull ahead against an inspired Tiafoe, securing the set 7-6(4).

The second set told a different story. After a highly contested first game, Sinner broke Tiafoe's serve. Sinner played a near-perfect second set, conceding just one point on his serve throughout.

The 23-year-old Italian kept his composure, secured a second break in the 5th game, and found himself 5-1 up with three match points on Tiafoe's serve. The American managed to save them and win his service game, but he couldn’t do more from the return. Sinner closed out the victory 7-6(4), 6-2, claiming his 15th career title and 3rd Masters 1000.

The world No. 1 will arrive at the US Open with renewed confidence as the top seed. He also extended his lead over his closest rivals, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, ensuring that he will leave the US Open as No. 1 regardless of what happens.