Match Report
Sinner in seventh heaven with dominant Shanghai final win vs. Djokovic
Italian clinches fourth ATP Masters 1000 title
October 13, 2024
Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner in action on Sunday during the Rolex Shanghai Masters championship match.
By Jerome Coombe
Jannik Sinner produced a commanding display against Novak Djokovic to lift his Tour-leading seventh title of 2024 on Sunday at the Rolex Shanghai Masters.
The Italian did not blink in a 7-6(4), 6-3 triumph, becoming the first man to win more than six titles in a calendar year since Andy Murray won nine in 2016. Sinner clinched a high-octane first set by improving to 24-8 in tie-breaks for the year, before surging to an ultimately unassailable 4-1 lead in the early stages of the second set.
“It was a very tough match, obviously, playing against Novak is one of the toughest challenges we have,” said Sinner, who levelled the pair’s Lexus ATP Head series at 4-4. “I’m very happy with how I handled the situation. He was serving great the first set, I couldn’t find a way to break him. I played a really good tie-break which gave me confidence to start off well in the second set.
“It’s tough to tell you a secret about [Djokovic] because he doesn’t have any weaknesses. You have to try and use the small chances that he gives you, but there are not many during the match. He is a legend of our sport, he’s very tough to play against, so I am very happy.”
Djokovic, who was bidding to become the third man to win 100 tour-level titles (Connors, Federer), was denied by the imperious serving of Sinner. The 23-year-old won 81 per cent (21/26) of points behind his first delivery in an absorbing first set, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Finding an extra gear at the beginning of the second, the World No. 1 dismantled Djokovic’s serve in the fourth game and from there cruised to a straight-sets victory. With the one-hour and 37-minute triumph, Sinner recorded his personal best 65th win in a season.
More to follow…
