World No. 1 Jannik Sinner gears up for US Open by winning the Cincinnati Open

CNN —

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner saw off the challenge from home favorite Frances Tiafoe to win the men’s Cincinnati Open title on Monday.

The Italian admitted he was struggling with fatigue after a taxing tournament, but still found a way to beat his American opponent in the final in straight sets, 7-6(4) 6-2.

“It was a very difficult week, tough week. I’m very happy about today’s match,” he said after his match.

“It was very tough mentally. Had such an amazing run here, and I tried to do my best today. We both were quite tired from yesterday. We both felt a lot of tension, but I’m very glad about the level I played today, especially in the important moments.”

Sinner appeared to be hampered by a hip injury at times in Cincinnati but found a way to secure his fifth title of the season.

He battled through tough matches against Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals and Alexander Zverev in the semis to set up a clash with Tiafoe – who himself came back from a set down against Holger Rune in the semifinals.

Tiafoe and Sinner embrace at the net after the final. Dylan Buell/Getty Images

In the final, it was Sinner’s booming ground strokes that made the difference, with his power and accuracy too much for Tiafoe to handle.

After winning a first-set tiebreak, the 23-year-old Italian then breezed through the second set to become the youngest male winner of the tournament since Andy Murray in 2008.

US Open preparation

The win will breathe fresh confidence into the Italian’s game as he heads to New York for the US Open, where he hopes to win his second major title.

The final grand slam of the year will begin on Monday.

“I’m very happy to be in a position where I am and just trying to keep going mentally, having this hunger to keep playing, and hopefully, I can show some good tennis also in New York,” Sinner added.

For Tiafoe, the run to the Cincinnati Open final marked an uptick in form during a season where he’s admitted to struggling with performances.

“I’ve been struggling for a really long time so to have a week like this really means a lot,” he said after the match.

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