Jannik Sinner beats Alexander Zverev in 3 sets for his second Australian Open title in a row
Published Jan 26, 2025  â˘Â 4 minute read
Join the conversation
Jannik Sinner of Italy holds the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup aloft after defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in the men's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025. Photo by Ng Han Guan /THE ASSOCIATED PRESSMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) â Thereâs all sorts of ways beyond merely the score to measure just how dominant Jannik Sinner was while outplaying and frustrating Alexander Zverev during the 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 victory Sunday that earned the 23-year-old Italian a second consecutive Australian Open championship.
Advertisement 2
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Don't have an account? Create Account
or
View more offers
Article content
Article content
Article content
The zero break points Sinner faced. Or the 10 he accumulated. The 27-13 advantage in points that lasted at least nine strokes. Or the way Sinner accumulated more winners, 32 to 25, and fewer unforced errors, 27 to 45. The way Sinner won 10 of the 13 points that ended with him at the net. Or the way he only let Zverev go 14 of 27 in that category, frequently zipping passing shots out of reach.
Well, hereâs is one more bit of evidence: what Zverev said about Sinner.
âIâm serving better than him, but thatâs it. He does everything else better than me. He moves better than me. He hits his forehand better than me. He hits his backhand better than me. He returns better than me. He volleys better than me,â Zverev said. âAt the end of the day, tennis has five or six massive shots â like, massive factors â and he does four or five of them better than me. Thatâs the reason why he won.â
Your Midday Sun
Thanks for signing up!
Article content
Advertisement 3
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
High praise from a guy who is, after all, ranked No. 2. Sinner has held the No. 1 spot since last June and is not showing any signs of relinquishing it. This was the first Australian Open final between the men at No. 1 and No. 2 since 2019, when No. 1 Novak Djokovic defeated No. 2 Rafael Nadal â also in straight sets.
âItâs amazing,â Sinner said, âto achieve these things.â
The âthingsâ include being the youngest man to leave Melbourne Park with the trophy two years in a row since Jim Courier in 1992-93, and the first man since Nadal at the French Open in 2005 and 2006 to follow up his first Grand Slam title by repeating as the champion at the same tournament a year later.
Sinner was asked later whether he felt more relief or excitement when he raised his arms after the last point was his.
Advertisement 4
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
âThis one was joy. We managed to do something incredible this time, because the situation I was in was completely different from a year ago here,â he said. âI had more pressure.â
Probably true, butâs hard to tell.
Go to the start of 2024, and take stock. In that span, Sinner has won three of the five major tournaments, including the U.S. Open in September, meaning he now has claimed three straight hard-court Slams. His record is 80-6 with nine titles. His current unbeaten run covers 21 matches.
âThereâs always something that can get better,â said one of his two coaches, Simone Vagnozzi. âHe is playing really well right now and everything comes easily. But there will be tough moments ahead.â
The only thing thatâs clouded the past 12 months for Sinner, it seems, is the doping case in which his exoneration was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency. He tested positive for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid twice last March but blamed it on an accidental exposure involving two members of his team who have since been fired. Sinner initially was cleared in August; a hearing in the WADA appeal is scheduled for April.
Advertisement 5
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
âI keep playing like this because I have a clear mind on what happened,â Sinner said Sunday. âI know if I would be guilty, I would not play like this.â
While he became the eighth man in the Open era (which began in 1968) to start his career 3-0 in Grand Slam finals, Zverev is the seventh to be 0-3, adding this loss to those at the 2020 U.S. Open and last yearâs French Open.
Those earlier setbacks both came in five sets. This contest was not that close. Not at all.
âIâll keep doing everything I can,â Zverev said, âto lift one of those trophies.â
Just before Zverev began speaking into a microphone during the trophy ceremony, a voice cried out from the stands, making reference to two of the playerâs ex-girlfriends who accused him of physical abuse.
Advertisement 6
Story continues below
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
During the match, there truly was only one moment that contained a hint of tension. It came when Zverev was two points from owning the second set at 5-4, love-30. But a break point â and a set point _ never arrived.
A year ago, Sinner went through a lot more trouble to earn his first major, needing to get past Novak Djokovic â who quit one set into his semifinal against Zverev on Friday because of a torn hamstring â before erasing a two-set deficit in the final against 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev.
This time, Sinner applied pressure with an all-around style that does not really appear to have holes.
He proved superior in every meaningful way other than aces, leaving Zverev shaking his head or trudging to the sideline with shoulders sagging or cracking his racket against the court or against another racket.
Perfectly understandable, given what Sinner can do to an opponent, especially on a hard court.
âThe facts speak for themselves,â Zverev said. âHeâs in a different universe right now.â
Article content
Share this article in your social network
Holly Willoughbyâ??s stunned Dancing on Ice viewers as Wickedâ??s Glinda for movie week, and her makeup artist shared exactly which products she used to create her soft smokey eye
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday, January 26, earning a spot in the 2025 Super Bowl
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Scott Mills opened his first BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Monday morning (27 January) with a special pledge to his listeners. The 51-year-old has taken over from Zoe Ball, who stepped down to âfocus on familyâ, having replaced Chris Evans in the slot in 2019. Mills vowed to give the coveted slot "absolutely everything," reassuring listeners they could reach out to him "any time [they] feel like it." âItâs your voice, your stories and your life thatâs going to make this show into something that I really hope you come to adore and look forward to every day. Thatâs my aim," he added.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 with a special pledge to his listeners. The 51-year-old has taken over from Zoe Ball, who stepped down to âfocus on familyâ, having replaced Chris Evans in the slot in 2019. Mills vowed to give the coveted slot ) |
|
|
Sue Radford left Britain's biggest family in shock in the latest episode of the Channel 5 show when she revealed her close friend had sadly been diagnosed with early-onset dementia
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Wynne Evans has issued a grovelling apology after he was caught on camera making an inappropriate sexual remark about his Strictly Come Dancing tour co-stars
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Jackie Chan's newest film The Shadowâs Edge has wrapped principal photography and will be presented at the European Film Market to buyers.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
EX On The Beach star Helen Briggs has revealed sheâs pregnant with her fourth baby â two years after her shock split from her co-star, and cheating claims. Helen took to social media to post a videâŚ
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
A look at the nature of inspiration, via Gene Simmons moving to the US at eight, discovering rock music, comics and movies, and forming Kiss as a direct result.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
EXCLUSIVE: Scott Mills will host the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show, replacing Zoe Ball, but the DJ has already seen a dip in figures.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The Atlanta-based musician died in his sleep on Friday, his wife,ĂÂ Sherkita Long-Platt confirmed. He was 43.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.