Sinner, Sabalenka win titles in Cincinnati Open

FE Team | Published: August 20, 2024 22:14:49

MASON, Ohio, Aug 20 (AP): Top-ranked Jannik Sinner and women's No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka earned straight-set victories in the finals of the Cincinnati Open on Monday, the first titles at the tournament for both players.
Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula 6-3, 7-5 for her first title since the Australian Open in January.
Sinner, who turned 23 on Friday, beat American Frances Tiafoe 7-6 (4), 6-2 to become the youngest Cincinnati champion since 21-year-old Andy Murray won in 2008.
"I'm very happy to be in the position where I am," Sinner said. "I'm just trying to keep going this way mentally. It's important to recover to be ready for New York. That's the most important thing."
The US Open begins on August 26 in New York.
Sinner and Tiafoe were both playing in their first Cincinnati finals with their previous best results being the third round.
Tiafoe forced a tiebreak in the first set, but three straight errors led to a 7-6 defeat. Sinner had a 5-1 lead in the second before Tiafoe saved three match points to make it 5-2 before Sinner was able to serve out for the win.
Tiafoe had a less conventional path to the final. He won the first set in the quarterfinals on Saturday before Hubert Hurkacz retired with a calf injury then saved two match points to defeat Holger Rune in three sets in the semis.
An American man hasn't won the title in Cincinnati since Andy Roddick in 2006.
Sabalenka moved up a spot to No. 2 in the rankings before the match, then didn't lose a set en route to her 15th WTA title. She had never gotten past the semifinals at Cincinnati, losing three times in that round.
The 26-year-old Sabalenka can now be considered a favorite at the US Open.