Italy's Jannik Sinner lifts the trophy as he celebrates winning the men's final of the ABN AMRO ATP tennis tournament against Australia's Alex De Minaur at Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Feb 18, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)
THE HAGUE - Italy's Jannik Sinner won the 51st edition of the ABN Amro Open ATP tournament in Rotterdam on Sunday, beating Australia's Alex De Minaur 7-5, 6-4 in a thrilling final.
After having won the Australian Open, his first Grand Slam victory, in January, 22-year-old Sinner came to Rotterdam with a lot of confidence and was favorite to win the tournament. In Saturday's semifinal, he beat local favorite Tallon Griekspoor 6-2, 6-4.
Italy's Jannik Sinner plays a shot against Australia's Alex De Minaur during the men's final of the ABN AMRO ATP tennis tournament at Ahoy arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on Feb 18, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)
The final against De Minaur, ranked 11th in the ATP world rankings, was a fascinating match full of lengthy rallies. De Minaur made it 5-5 with a break after four missed set points for Sinner, but a game later, the Australian was broken again.
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In the second set, De Minaur lost his service game at 3-3 and Sinner went on to win the duel.
It was the 15th consecutive victory for Sinner, who will jump from fourth to third in the rankings on Monday. Last year, Sinner had lost the final in Rotterdam to Daniil Medvedev of Russia.