Sinner rallies from 2 sets down to win the Australian Open final from Medvedev, clinches 1st major

By JOHN PYE
AP Sports Writer

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Jannik Sinner rallied from two sets down to take the Australian Open final from Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday and clinch his first Grand Slam title.

The 22-year-old Sinner was playing in a major final for the first time and got there by ending Novak Djokovic’s long domination of the tournament in a semifinal upset.

He’s the first Italian to win the Australian Open title.

For 2021 U.S. Open champion Medvedev, the loss was his fifth in six major finals. The third-seeded Medvedev set a record with his fourth five-set match of the tournament and time on court at a major in the Open era, surpassing Carlos Alcaraz’s 23:40 at the 2022 U.S. Open.

Medvedev lost back-to-back finals here to Djokovic in 2021 and to Rafael Nadal — after holding a two-set lead — the following year. He won three five-set matches to reach the championship match this time and had two comebacks from two sets down. Sinner only dropped one set through six rounds — in a third-set tiebreaker against Djokovic — until his five-set comeback win on Sunday.

___

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis