World number one Jannik Sinner defeated Frances Tiafoe 7-6(4) 6-2 in the Cincinnati Open final on Monday, demonstrating that despite recent health issues, he remains a formidable opponent for the upcoming US Open. The 23-year-old, who has faced hip problems over the past few months and missed the Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis, started the match with several errors and appeared to be limping after some points in the closely contested first set. However, he regained his form during the tiebreak, successfully handling Tiafoe's strong serve on set point, and Tiafoe's subsequent shot went long, giving Sinner the lead. Tiafoe, who has had a challenging season in terms of consistency and victories, failed to capitalize on his three break point chances in the first set and quickly fell behind 2-0 in the second, from which he could not recover. Sinner secured a 4-1 lead in the second set with a powerful forehand winner and sealed the victory with an unreturnable serve on match point. This win at the Masters 1000 event follows Sinner's major breakthrough at the Australian Open in January and marks his fifth title of the year and his first in Ohio. Notably, Sinner has proven he can triumph even when not at full health, a quality that might be crucial at Flushing Meadows, where defending champion Novak Djokovic and world number three Carlos Alcaraz are also top contenders.
"It was a very difficult week, tough week. I'm very happy about today's match," Sinner said during his on-court interview. "It was very tough mentally... We both felt a lot of tension, but I'm very glad about the level I played, especially in the important moments." Sinner emphasized that his main focus now is preparing for the year's final major. "Now, for sure, it's important to recover, to be ready for New York," he said. "I'm very happy to be in a position where I am and just trying to keep going mentally with this hunger to keep playing." Tiafoe, who will move up to world number 20, heads into the US Open with confidence after his courageous three-set victory over Holger Rune in Sunday's semifinal. "I've been struggling for a really long time so to have a week like this really means a lot," Tiafoe commented.
