Jannik Sinner downs Alex de Minaur to clinch maiden Canadian Open crown

Toronto [Canada], August 14 (ANI): Jannik Sinner broke new ground in Toronto when he captured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open, defeating Alex de Minaur in the summit clash. 

The Italian produced a clean-hitting performance in Toronto to register a 6-4, 6-1 victory against Alex de Minaur in a match that lasted for one hour and 30 minutes.

Sinner had previously lost his two Masters 1000 title bouts in Miami in 2021 and 2023, but he made certain he would not endure final heartbreak against de Minaur again. He broke the Australian’s serve five times to become only the second Italian Masters 1000 champion since the series began in 1990, joining Fabio Fognini (Monte-Carlo 2019).

“It means a lot. It is a great result. One I can share with all the people who are close to me every day. It is a nice moment to share with them and we are doing the right things. This result makes us feel good, stronger and hungry to work even harder in the future,” ATP.com quoted Sinner as saying.

“I am proud] how I handled the situation. Every opponent here is tough to play against. I felt the pressure, but I think I handled it very well. Trying to play point after point. Treating everyone with respect on the court, so I am happy with how I handled the situation,” Sinner said.

A topsy-turvy opening set swung one way and then the other in front of a full house, as De Minaur provided a brick wall to Sinner’s ball bludgeoning. De Minaur entered the final with a steal percentage of 46.5 per cent, much above the tour average of 33 per cent, and he used his defensive talents to push Sinner to overhit at times.

However, from 4-4, the Italian increased his depth and precision, outmanoeuvring the Australian to clinch the set’s fifth – and eventually decisive – break.

The Italian did not look back after going forward. He hit too hard for De Minaur and began to clean the lines with his devastating groundstrokes in the second set, racing away to improve to 5-0 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series versus the Australian.

Prior to this week, De Minaur has never reached the quarter-finals of a Masters 1000 event. The Australian, who lost in the title match last week in Los Cabos, defeated seeds Cameron Norrie, Taylor Fritz, and Daniil Medvedev to reach consecutive tour-level finals for the first time in his career. As a result of his performance in Toronto, De Minaur has moved up five places to tenth in the ATP Live Race To Turin.

“It was a breakthrough week for me. I had a nice week here in Toronto. I played some great tennis and it gave me a taste of it. My maiden [Masters 1000] final and I will be back,” De Minaur said.