Sinner Defeats Zverev to Defend Wimbledon Title

Jannik Sinner defended his Wimbledon title on Sunday, defeating Alexander Zverev 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4 in the final to claim his fifth Grand Slam title and extend his dominance over the German to 10 straight victories.

Both finalists battled through 12 games in a thrilling first set on a warm, windy afternoon, until Zverev shifted the pace and won a nail-biting tiebreak with a powerful forehand, which he celebrated loudly.

Zverev began to show signs of frustration toward the end of the second set, as a much more active Sinner gained the upper hand in the tiebreak to level the match.

Midway through the third set, after more than two and a half hours of play, the German earned his first break point, but slipped and fell to the ground chasing a Sinner drop shot. Zverev screamed in pain, and the crowd on Centre Court held its breath as he rolled onto his back and clutched his right knee.

The second seed pulled himself together and continued playing, but Sinner broke him in the next game to extend his lead to 5-3 and went on to win the third set.

In the fourth set, Sinner broke serve again to take a 4-3 lead. The Italian held on and closed out the decisive set 6-4.

The 24-year-old Italian takes home a prize of £3.6m ($4.8m) before taxes from London. By defending 2,000 ranking points, he will comfortably retain his world No. 1 ranking. Zverev failed to build on his Roland Garros triumph in Paris and missed his chance to claim a second Grand Slam title.

Jannik Sinner (Italy, 1) def. Alexander Zverev (Germany, 2) 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4

(Reuters, im)