Alexander Zverev played his best tennis in the Vienna ATP 500 final yesterday and kept alive his dream of winning his second title this year, but in the end he had to surrender to world number 2 Jannik Sinner at the end of a truly amazing battle.
The German ace was superior to the former world number 1 in the first part of the match and deservedly won the first set, then suffered the reaction of the four-time Grand Slam champion at the beginning of the second set but continued to maintain the right attitude.
The third set was really balanced and everyone thought it would end in a tiebreak, but the 24-year-old from Sesto Pusteria made the difference in the last two games of the clash and got his third win in a row over Sascha (and his fourth title this season).
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Sascha can be proud
Despite this painful loss, the champion from Hamburg can be very proud of his performance having expressed his best level after a period of crisis. He also seems fully recovered from a physical point of view and will now try to defend his title at the Paris Masters 1000, where he was the protagonist of a run at the limits of perfection a year ago. However, the last Masters 1000 of the season has changed venuestarting this year and conditions are expected to be much slower than in the past.
Through his official X profile, the famous analyst Benoit Maylin complimented Zverev for his level in the final in Vienna but also highlighted the main difference between him and Sinner: "The truth is that both played at the highest level and were equal for most of the match, But the Italian champion was clearly superior in the decisive moments. Sascha always has a tendency to hesitate when he is under pressure and his shots become more restrained, but Jannik manages to make the difference in those moments."
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The Italian and the German could face each other in the semifinals at the Rolex Paris Masters, but both have a fairly tough path potential and won't have much time to recover their energiesahead of their debut in the French capital.
