Jannik Sinner defeated Hubert Hurkacz at the Halle Open to win his first world championship. The athlete won his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last January and eventually dethroned Novak Djokovic as he claimed the top of the world rankings last June.
Sinner won 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (7-2) against Hurkacz of Poland, with whom he earlier played doubles in Germany. This win granted him his maiden grass-court championship.
Sinner has only dropped three sets this year, losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo and twice to Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open and Indian Wells.
What’s next for Sinner?
Sinner will start as the top seed at Wimbledon in an attempt to improve on his 2018 semi-final competition performance.
As the tournament is about to commence, Sinner admitted: “I’m just looking forward to Wimbledon. Last year I made the semis, I played some good tennis, so let’s see what’s coming this year… I’m more confident for sure. Obviously, the grass might be a bit different from here and Wimbledon.”
He added: “But I have one week now to prepare, so hopefully it’s going to be a good tournament.”
In other related news, Tommy Paul defeated Lorenzo Musetti 6-1, 7-6 (10-8) to win the biggest title in his career to date at Queen’s.
With the win, the American also rose to the top of his nation’s men’s tennis rankings. He is now 12th in the world rankings.
Source: BBC