Italian young gun Jannik Sinner has broken through for his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open in a strong field which included the likes of world number one Carlos Alcaraz. The 21-year-old proved too good for Australian Alex de Minaur, racing away with the match after a tight first set to win 6-4 6-1.
Sinner lost just a solitary set during the tournament, that coming in a tight quarterfinal clash with Gael Monfils, who he beat 6-4 4-6 6-3. He subsequently went on to beat Tommy Paul in straight sets in the semis before his final against de Minaur.
It was the second win of the calendar year for Sinner, whose last win came at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier back in February, but pivotally was his first at an event of this stature. Previously, Sinner had made two finals at Masters 1000 events – the 2021 Miami Open, which he lost to Herbert Hurkacz, and the same event earlier this year, which he lost to Daniil Medvedev.
For the talented Sinner, it marks another step forward in a year in which he has displayed significant progression. At Wimbledon just over a month ago he made his first semi-final in a Grand Slam, while the two Masters 1000 finals that he has made is double what he had made in his career prior to this year.
As a result of the victory, Sinner jumps up two spots in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings from eighth to sixth, the highest ranking of his career. And it's a good time of the year to be coming into form; another ATP Masters event follows; another Masters 1000 event follows this week in the Cincinnati Open, while in a couple of weeks he'll seek to add a first Grand Slam to his growing trophy cabinet at the US Open.