Sinner beats Medvedev to win AO title

Agency :
Jannik Sinner has won his first grand slam title after battling back to beat Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in a sensational men’s singles final of the Australian Open (AO).
The Russian has now lost three times in a Melbourne final, having also lost in 2021 and 2022. In all, this was Medvedev’s sixth grand slam final but his 1-5 record is primarily a consequence of having the misfortune of facing greats of the game – Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal – in the five previous finals.
Medvedev’s defeat was surely impacted by fatigue. No other player has ever spent more time on court in one major tournament in the Open era.
He has endured three five-set matches, including recoveries from two sets down against Emil Ruusuvuori and Zverev, with a 3.40am finish against the former. His first-round win over Terence Atmane and in the fourth against Nuno Borges were played out in stifling heat. The 27-year-old started Sunday’s final after spending 20 hours 33 minutes on court this tournament, almost six hours longer than Sinner.
Medvedev broke Sinner early in the first set and with a first-serve percentage at nearly 90%, cruised to the opening set. He raced to a 5-1 lead in the second set, and although Sinner did break the Medvedev’s serve, the Russian closed it out for 6-3.
A nervy and tight third set went to serve until Sinner broke at the last to take it 6-4, as a tired Medvedev forehand went long. Sinner repeated the trick in the fourth set as Medvedev’s energy dropped, and the Italian again took the set 6-4 to set up a nail-biting decider and competed the hat-trick to win the fifth set, falling to the floor in celebration.