December 22, 2024
Jannik Sinner defeated Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-1 to win his first trophy at the hard-court event on a third attempt and his second ATP Masters 1000 crown overall.
The 22-year-old Italian suffered final defeats in South Florida in 2021 and 2023 but has shown he is a different beast in 2024, entering Sunday’s final holding a 21-1 record on the year. High in confidence, Sinner ensured history did not repeat itself on Sunday, producing a clean and aggressive performance to clinch his third title of the season after one hour and 14 minutes.
“I’m really proud obviously about the result,” Sinner said. “I started off struggling a little bit this week. I haven’t had so much time to adapt on this court, so I knew in the beginning that it’s going to be tough. As the tournament went on, I felt better and better. Today’s performance was really, really good. I’m just proud how I handled the situation. It was not easy, so it was a very, very good two weeks.”
Sinner, who struck 15 winners according to Infosys ATP Stats, will rise to a career-high No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings following his triumph.
With the victory, Sinner became the first Italian to climb to No. 2 and also the first Italian to claim multiple Masters 1000 titles. He has also extended his lead for most tour-level trophies by an Italian in the Open Era to 13.
Earlier this season, Sinner won his maiden major title at the Australian Open and clinched the crown at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam. He has now won two ATP Masters 1000 titles, having lifted the trophy in Toronto last season.
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