Jannik Sinner beats Casper Ruud to win the Italian Open, exactly fifty years after the last Italian triumph, won by Adriano Panatta in 1976 .
The world number 1, having overcome some initial worries, took off in the decisive moments of the first set and then flew towards victory, obtained with the score of 6-4, 6-4.
Panatta himself was there to present him the trophy, together with the president of the Fitp Angelo Binaghi and the Head of State Sergio Mattarella, and he warmly embraced him.
The match
Partly due to the fatigue accumulated over the past few months, partly due to the emotion of the final at the Foro, Jannik's start isn't the best. Few first serves, little depth, and the Norwegian quickly takes a 2-0 lead . This is unusual for Sinner, who has consistently started ahead in this tournament, weakening his opponents' hopes from the first few games. The world number one, however, reacts like a champion and with the first burst of the match, a splendid backhand winner down the line, secures the immediate counterbreak . The match goes on hold until 4-all, when Jannik breaks his opponent's serve with three drop points (two perfectly executed, winners; on the third, Ruud recovers but misses) and then takes the first set, holding the next service game to love.
It's the turning point of the match. Now the South Tyrolean's arm is looser, the first serves are coming in, and the ball is much faster. So, in a flash , Jannik scores another break at the start of the second set, thanks to his trademark backhand down the line winner . And for Ruud, the mountain to climb becomes ever higher. The Norwegian, however, deserves credit for not giving up: he clings to his service games, even saving a double break point. And thanks to a missed smash from Sinner, he has the chance to get back into the match and take the score to 4-all, but Jannik promptly cancels it out, leaving him no chance with his serve-forward pattern. It's the Norwegian's last chance, because in the next service game, Sinner immediately makes things clear with a fabulous backhand winner and easily closes out the game (except for mother Siglinde, who continues to suffer and covers her eyes to avoid seeing) at love, for a final score of 6-4.
