Sinner beats Zverev to retain Wimbledon title

LONDON: Jannik Sinner defended his Wimbledon crown on Sunday, beating French Open champion Alexander Zverev in four sets to claim another Grand Slam title after a hard-fought final on Centre Court.

The world number one came from a set down in a contest shaped largely by dominant serving and secured a 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, 6-4 victory in three hours and 46 minutes. The win gave the Italian his fifth Grand Slam title and his first major since lifting the Wimbledon trophy 12 months ago.

Sinner struck 58 winners and committed 25 unforced errors as he wore down Zverev, who arrived in the final on a 13-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments. The 24-year-old also recorded his 100th match win at the sport’s four majors and improved his record for the year to 44-3 while collecting his sixth title of the season.

The result also underlined Sinner’s resurgence after his surprise second-round defeat at the French Open last month, when Juan Manuel Cerundolo came back from two sets down to beat him. At Wimbledon, his biggest scare came in the opening round, where he had to rally from behind to defeat Miomir Kecmanovic in five sets, before moving through the rest of the draw without similar trouble.

Final turned after two tight sets

Zverev, who had never previously gone beyond the quarter-finals in nine earlier Wimbledon appearances, made a strong start and took the opening set in a tie-break. In a set with only one break point, which he saved, the German edged ahead after the first 15 points of the tie-break stayed on serve and both players fought off set points before he finished it with a forehand winner.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with neither player earning a break point as both held serve to 6-6. This time, however, Sinner raised his level in the tie-break to draw level at one set each.

Zverev created his first break point of the match in the seventh game of the third set, but slipped as Sinner played a drop-shot winner. He grabbed at his knee after the fall, and Sinner came over to check on him before helping him back to his feet.

The decisive shift came in the next game when Zverev’s serve faltered for the first time. On break point, after a rally in which Sinner had ended up flat on the grass, Zverev sent a forehand long and angrily threw his racquet. Sinner then served out the set to love, finishing it with an ace for a two-sets-to-one lead.

Sinner closes out title

Zverev tried to extend the contest in the fourth set, but Sinner broke again for a 4-3 advantage and stayed in control from there. He completed the victory on serve in a dramatic last game that featured two of the best rallies of the match, before dropping to the turf in celebration after putting away a forehand winner on his first match point.

For Zverev, the defeat meant he was unable to end a 10-match losing streak against Sinner, despite becoming the first player in seven meetings to take a set off him. The German had been aiming to become the first man from his country to win the Wimbledon singles title since Michael Stich in 1991. Even so, he is set to move above Carlos Alcaraz into second place in the ATP rankings on Monday.

Sinner’s latest triumph leaves him two Grand Slam titles behind Alcaraz’s total and further strengthens his status as one of the leading players on grass.