Tennis: Zverev narrowly loses to Sinner

Alexander Zverev hung his head briefly after his missed opportunity, then, with a bitter smile, fell into Jannik Sinner's arms at the net. Germany's top tennis pro missed the victory at the ATP tournament in Vienna despite a very strong performance. In the final, the world number three had to admit defeat to the top seed and favorite Italian 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, after leading a set.

For Zverev, it was his second painful final loss to the South Tyrolean this year, following the Australian Open in January. In a complicated season, the Hamburg native is still waiting for his second title win after the one in Munich in April. Four-time Grand Slam winner Sinner, on the other hand, celebrated his 22nd career title and his fourth win in eight matches against Zverev.

"It feels fantastic. It was such a complicated story in this final. I wanted to play my best tennis when it counted," said Sinner. "It was a great performance from both sides—I'm very happy it was enough."

After numerous setbacks in recent months, the duel with Sinner represented an important test of Zverev's form: "Let's see where I really stand," he said before his first final appearance since June. In Melbourne, where the two had last met, Zverev had been hopeless in three straight sets. He therefore had to "play the best tennis you can to even have a chance," Zverev added - in order to get as close to his goal as possible right from the start. On the indoor hard court in Vienna, Zverev moved well and played courageously. The reward: an early break in the first set.

He remained unfazed on his way to the coveted title win. The feared class difference was nowhere to be seen: Zverev remained alert and aggressive, refreshingly frequent at the net, and served strongly. Sinner's first set loss of the tournament after 47 minutes was the logical consequence. But the setback practically woke Sinner up. The Wimbledon champion mercilessly exploited even his opponent's minor weaknesses in the second set. To the delight of the fans in Vienna, both players delivered plenty of highlights in a high-class match.

In the deciding set, Zverev continued his impressive return to his former strength, repeatedly challenging Sinner. He spectacularly fended off several of Sinner's break points. Ultimately, the Italian prevailed despite slight thigh problems, playing his best tennis in the closing stages.

For Zverev, the tournament in Vienna was a real bright spot on his way to the ATP Finals in Turin starting November 9th, even though he didn't have to beat a top opponent in Austria. His recently weakening body didn't seem to pose any major problems this time. After the ATP Finals, Zverev also wants to compete in the Davis Cup finals in Bologna with the German team to close the season.