Jannik Sinner stunned Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller to win the Australian Open 2024 men's singles final. Sinner, who had not won a major trophy prior to Sunday (January 27), beat his Russian opponent 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. This is a remarkable achievement for the Italian tennis star as this was his first Australian Open final, in contrast to Medvedev who finishes runners-up at the Melbourne Park for the third time this year.
Sinner achieves his maiden Grand Slam victory and the manner in which he got to that was simply oustanding. The odds might have been stacked against the 22-year-old but he made amends after going two sets down and the result was there for everyone to see. On the other hand, this is not the first five-setter that Medvedev has lost at the Rod Laver Arena in the final hurdle. In the 2022 summit clash too, the Russian had succumebed to an agonising defeat at the hands of Rafael Nadal before going down against Novak Djokovic in the 2021 final where he had lost in straight sets.
Sinner First Italian To Win Australian Open 2024 Title
By virtue of this win, Sinner also became the first Italian to win an Australian Open title, doing so in a final where he was two sets down. Medvedev may not have tasted a win in Melbourne on Sunday but yet managed to break a record. He now has four five-set matches at the Australian Open and has now spent the most time on court at a major in the Open Era. He broke the previous record set by Carlos Alcaraz who had spent 23:40 on court during the 2022 US Open. However, the Russian couldn't come out on top despite his experience of playing these five-setters often.
Sinner had only lost one set through the six rounds on his way to the final and after losing two in a row in the final, found a way to beat his opponent in a contest lasting 3 hours and 44 minutes.