MELBOURNE, Australia – Jannik Sinner made a stunning comeback from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the Australian Open men’s final on Sunday.
Fourth-seeded Sinner, who had lost only one set in the decider, looked destined to lose in straight sets as third-seeded Medvedev quickly took a two-set lead. But the Italian held his own midway through the final and prevailed in a battle of wills and patience that lasted 3 hours, 44 minutes.
It is the first career major title for Sinner and an unwanted record for Medvedev, becoming the first man in Grand Slam history to lose multiple finals after winning the first two sets. Medvedev also squandered a two-set lead to Rafael Nadal in Melbourne 2022.
“I was in a little trouble today, going two sets down by one set in a little over an hour,” Sinner said. “So I just tried to stay positive, tried to stick to the game plan, which I had to adjust a little bit. Daniels is an incredible player and he showed again that he’s an incredible fighter.”
Playing in her first Slam final, the 22-year-old Sinner made a nervous start. Medvedev broke in the third game of the match, no mean feat considering Sinner had held serve in 86 of his 88 service games before Sunday.
The Russian played with pace and aggression early on – dictating the conditions for Sinner and hitting 14 winners against the Italian’s five in the opening set, which ended in 36 minutes.
There was no sign of abating Sinner’s nerves, who fought to hold the service game early in the second set and saved four break point chances to level the score at 1-1. Medvedev held at love before putting Sinner on the back foot again, with the pair breaking a set apiece later to take a 3-1 lead en route to taking the second set.
Sinner was wayward, sending long balls or missing wide, which was a sharp contrast to the six matches before the final in which he dropped only one set – against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
But Sinner just had to take the match forward. Entering Sunday, Medvedev had spent 20 hours, 33 minutes on the court, the second-most time of anyone entering a major final — and it was starting to show.
After getting out of the blocks – serving well and attacking with intent – ​​Medvedev slowed down midway through the third set. His first serve percentage dropped from 86% in the first set to 50% in the third set, and he committed 15 unforced errors as Sinner finally broke in the 10th game of the set and won it 6–4.
It was a similar story in the fourth set, as Sinner’s level rose while Medvedev’s level faltered. Extended rallies were a friend to Medvedev throughout this tournament, but they were starting to work against him as fatigue began to take over his game. And Sinner continued to chip away at Medvedev’s lead, breaking again in the 10th game and forcing a deciding set to rapturous applause at Rod Laver Arena.
Medvedev had a golden opportunity in the fourth set, but he missed a break-point opportunity in the seventh game. She would not suffer another blow on Sinner’s serve, as the Italian took control at the beginning of the fourth and fifth, going on to win the decisive game 6–3 and secure her first Grand Slam title.
Sinner is the second Italian man to win a Grand Slam in the Open era; Adriano Panatta won the French Open in 1976 while Nicola Pietrangeli won the French Open in 1959 and 1960. Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta are Italy’s other Grand Slam champions, having won the women’s 2010 French Open and 2015 US Open respectively.
Sinner said that feeling the pressure in the moments from being down two sets was a challenge and that he was “extremely happy” with the way he handled adversity on the big stage.
“The first two sets or two and a half sets, he played really well. I just tried to play even, try to take some chances in the third set, which I did,” he said. “When you win a very important game, the match can change sometimes, and that was the case today.
“I tried to stay on the court as much as possible, knowing that he has spent so many hours on the court. The more the match goes on, maybe physically I am a little better today, because he has played so many hours. I think That was the key today.”
The Australian Open remains a bittersweet tournament for Medvedev, who has made three finals in Melbourne – his most at any Slam – but has lost all three times.
He said fatigue had set in after a marathon tournament in which he played 31 sets, the most of any major player, and he described this year’s Australian Open as the toughest tournament “by far”. He has played.
“I was a little tired physically, but (in) every other match, my opponent didn’t manage to take advantage of that,” Medvedev said. “During the match, it was the same story every time, after two sets, my energy levels dropped, falling because I didn’t get enough sleep, I was playing very early.
“So let’s call it my fault because I needed to win easy matches, but sometimes it’s hard.”
History was against Medvedev, as no man has ever won his quarterfinal, semifinal, and major final in five sets.
With the final going the distance, it set the record for most five-set matches played at the Australian Open and tied the record for most matches played at a major with the 1983 US Open.
Following his successful win, Sinner will retain his world No. 4 ranking, while Medvedev will remain ranked No. 3, leaving a gap between the current top four and fifth-ranked Andrey Rublev.
