Jannik Sinner clinches personal milestone ahead of Cincinnati Open final
By Lee Vowell
Jannik Sinner has maintained the No. 1 ranking on the ATP tour even though it's been a bit since he last won a tournament. What has helped him the most was starting off the year so strong. He got his first Grand Slam victory when he took home the trophy at the Australian Open and later won the Miami Masters.
Sinner did win the Halle Open in June as a lead-up to Wimbledon but that is the only event he has won since March. That might change on Monday when the Italian will face Frances Tiafoe in the Cincinnati Open final. Sinner will be trying to win the third Masters 1000 title of his career.
To get there, Sinner had to overcome Alexander Zverev in three brutal sets in the semifinals. The score was 7-6(9) 5-7 7-6(4). Sinner not only had to defeat the German but he had to struggle with a nagging hip issue that has bothered him since the spring.
Jannik Sinner reaches personal milestone by defeating Alexander Zverev at Cincinnati Open
After the match, Sinner said he felt "good" and refused to say the hip was holding him back at all. That might be true but the Italian is one of the best movers in tennis and any issue with a hip or knee is going to cause him to slow a bit. A slightly slower Sinner is a diminished player.
Still, he fought his way to the final, and by doing so he reached a personal milestone. The points accrued by making the final will keep his ranking at the top of the ATP until at least September 29. No matter what happens at the US Open, Sinner will not take a rankings dip.
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That means he will spend at least 16 weeks at No. 1 which will tie him with Daniil Medvedev for the 18th-most weeks at No. 1. If the Italian can keep winning through September, he will likely pass Mats Wilander for the 17th-most weeks at No. 1 with 20.
The key is simply remaining healthy and hoping Sinner's hip doesn't get worse. He has the game to beat most players even with a health concern, but consistently defeating Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic would be another problem altogether.
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