Italian tennis sensation Jannik Sinner dominated the Australian Open final, defeating Alexander Zverev of Germany in straight sets (6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3) on Sunday to claim his second consecutive championship in Melbourne.
Sinner's victory reinforces his position as the world's top-ranked player, a title he has held since June. His performance was impeccable, facing no break points and boasting a superior ratio of winners (32) to unforced errors (45), compared to Zverev's 25 winners and 27 unforced errors.
Zverev graciously acknowledged Sinner's dominance, stating, "You're the best player in the world, by far. I hoped to be more competitive, but you're simply too good."
This marks Sinner's third Grand Slam title, adding to his two Australian Open trophies and last year's U.S. Open championship. He has also reached the semifinals at both the French Open and Wimbledon. Notably, Sinner joins an elite group of only eight men in the Open era to begin their careers with a 3-0 record in Grand Slam finals.
Sinner entered the tournament under scrutiny following a positive test for trace amounts of an anabolic steroid in March, which he attributed to accidental exposure involving two team members. He was cleared of wrongdoing, but the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has appealed the ruling, with a hearing scheduled for April. Prominent tennis figures like Nick Kyrgios have voiced concerns about doping violations within the sport, referencing Sinner's case and Iga Swiatek's suspension in November.
Kyrgios commented last month, "Two world No. 1s getting caught for doping is a disgrace for our sport. It creates a terrible image. Everyone is aware of the integrity issues in tennis, but no one wants to address them openly. It's appalling."
