Carlos Alcaraz has won the ATP Cincinnati Open title on Monday after defending champion Jannik Sinner retired due to illness during the first set.
World number one Sinner came into the final feeling poorly and lost the first seven points of the match played in 30 degrees Celsius summer heat.
After a fierce rival, Jannik Sinner was forced to retire in just 23 minutes into their championship-match clash, as he was looking out of sort in the sweltering heat,
Sinner called for the doctor after surrendering a 0-5 lead in the opening set, and received some medical attention after having his serve broken for the third time in the opening set, and was unable to continue in the remaining parts of the game. Shortly after, he retired.
“I’m super-super sorry to disappoint you,” Sinner said at the trophy ceremony to fans. “I was not feeling great yesterday but I thought it would go away overnight. I tried to make it at least a small match but I could not handle more.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint. Congrats to Carlos, I know this is not how you wanted to win. You are having an amazing season. I’m sorry to disappoint but sometimes it’s like this. This has been one of the hottest tournaments we have played.”
With defeat, Sinner’s 26-match winning streak on hard courts comes to an end, and he now faces a quick recovery ahead of his US Open title defence. The World No. 1’s participation in the mixed doubles event, in which he is set to compete with Katerina Siniakova on Tuesday, may now be in doubt.
Meanwhile, Alcaraz becomes the youngest man to win the Cincinnati Open title since Andy Murray in 2008, and the third Spaniard to win the pre-US Open title after Carlos Moya and Rafael Nadal.
The Cincinnati Open is considered a tuneup for the U.S. Open, which begins Sunday in New York.
