Sinner Dominates Djokovic by 2,300 ATP Points: World No. 1 Jannik Sinner Secures Cincinnati Masters Title
Top seed Jannik Sinner cruised to victory over Frances Tiafoe, winning 7-6(4), 6-2 in the final of the Cincinnati Masters 1000. This triumph further solidifies his position as the world’s number one.
With his third Masters 1000 title, Sinner now holds a commanding 2,300-point lead over second-ranked Novak Djokovic in the ATP standings. The Italian sensation had already guaranteed his spot at the ATP Finals even before competing in Cincinnati.
Sinner has an impressive record of 15 wins in 19 ATP Tour finals, including five titles in 2024 alone. The 23-year-old is the only player to have secured two Masters 1000 titles this season, having also won in Miami this past March.
In the August 19th final, Tiafoe put up a strong fight in the first set, engaging in a back-and-forth battle with numerous long rallies from the baseline. The American saved both break points he faced, including a set point in the 12th game, pushing the set into a tie-break. The tie-break remained tight, with both players earning mini-breaks in the first nine points. However, the turning point came during Tiafoe’s final two serves, where he made consecutive unforced errors, leading to a 4-7 defeat in the tie-break.
Losing the closely contested first set appeared to deflate Tiafoe’s spirits in the second set. He struggled to keep up in his service games, unable to find a solution to Sinner’s powerful forehand. Losing two of his first three service games, Tiafoe fell behind 1-5 and couldn’t recover. Although he saved three match points in the seventh game, Sinner ultimately closed out the match with a dominant service game, winning 6-2.
“It’s been a tough week for me, with many ups and downs,” Sinner commented, referring to playing through a lingering hip injury. “I’m happy with how I handled the crucial moments of the match. That’s what made the difference.
Sinner’s summer has been challenging, marked by a bout of tonsillitis that forced him to miss the Paris Olympics, and a hip injury that affected his performance since Roland Garros. Despite these setbacks, the world number one quickly regained form during the North American swing. Sinner’s victory in Cincinnati makes him the youngest champion of the tournament since Andy Murray in 2008.
As the top seed, Sinner now sets his sights on claiming his first US Open title. Although he has competed at the New York Grand Slam five times, his best result to date is a quarterfinal finish in 2022. Last year, he was ousted in the fourth round by Alexander Zverev, whom he defeated this past week in Cincinnati.
