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Jannik Sinner left in tears as injury ends Cincinnati title defence in final; Carlos Alcaraz consoles shattered rival
Jannik Sinner retired ill in the Cincinnati Open final after trailing 0-5, leaving in tears as Carlos Alcaraz lifted the title.
A blockbuster clash was on the cards, and a packed P&G Centre Court in Ohio was ready for it on Monday. But the Cincinnati Open final lasted barely 20 minutes as top-ranked Jannik Sinner was forced to retire due to illness in the first set, handing Carlos Alcaraz his maiden Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati.
It was their fourth meeting in a final this season, and the first since Wimbledon in early July. Sinner committed nine unforced errors to fall 0-5 behind before taking a medical timeout with an ice pack on his head. Moments later, he made the decision to retire.
Devastated at being forced to end his title defence, Sinner broke down in tears as physios attended to him. He then shook hands with Alcaraz and the umpire, before the Spaniard walked over to console him with a hug and a brief chat to lift his spirits.
Sinner revealed he had entered the final feeling unwell but still chose to play. This marked the third men’s Cincinnati Open final to end in a retirement, and the first since 2011 when Novak Djokovic withdrew in the second set with a shoulder injury.
“Didn’t feel great from yesterday,” Sinner said. “Also during the night, I thought I would recover a bit better, but it was not the case. I just tried to go out for the fans, trying to give a match. But it was not meant to be for me today.”
The 24-year-old was on a 12-match winning streak, which included the title at Wimbledon, and had not lost a hard-court match since October last year, winning 26 in a row. He was bidding to become the first player to win back-to-back men’s Cincinnati Open titles since Roger Federer in 2014 and '15.
“Wanted to wish Jannik a speedy recovery and in a few days, hopefully he's going to be OK,” Alcaraz said. “For myself, I am really, really happy to lift the trophy. I lost the final here in 2023. I wanted really badly this trophy.”
Alcaraz, who is ranked No. 2, now holds a 9-5 advantage in his matchups with the Italian. Sinner won in four sets at Wimbledon while the Spaniard won a five-set thriller at the French Open and in straight sets in the Rome Masters in May.
