For Jannik Sinner, it was the thrill of victory.
And for Daniil Medvedev, it was again the agony of defeat.
For Jannik Sinner, it was the thrill of victory.
And for Daniil Medvedev, it was again the agony of defeat.
Playing in his first Grand Slam final, the 22-year-old Sinner backed up his win over 10-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals by storming back from two sets down to defeat No. 3 Daniil Medvedev, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3, to capture his first major title. He is the first Italian man to win the Australian Open crown and just the eighth man to overcome an 0-2 deficit in a major final.
Medvedev, the 27-year-old Russian, became the first man to lose two Grand Slam finals after taking the first two sets. He lost the final to Rafael Nadal in Melbourne two years ago from two sets up. He is now 0-3 in Australian Open finals and 1-5 in major finals.
This was the first Australian Open final since 2005 without any member of tennis’s legendary “Big 3”: Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer.
In the decisive fifth set, Medvedev finally ran out of gas and Sinner broke him for a 4-2 lead, crushing a crosscourt forehand winner to seize control.
Serving for the match at 5-3, Sinner got to match point with a forehand winner into the corner that Medvedev could not retrieve. And he won it with another forehand winner down the line.
“I want to congratulate Jannik because today you showed again why you deserve it,” Medvedev said.
