Jannik Sinner claims huge victory over Daniil Medvedev to win Vienna Open

Jannik Sinner completed back-to-back wins over Daniil Medvedev, claiming a 7-6(7) 4-6 6-3 victory to take the Vienna Open title on Sunday.

It was a monumental battle between the tournament favourites, with top seed and defending champion, Medvedev, looking to exact revenge on Sinner after the Italian had snatched victory from him at the China Open final at the start of October. - the first time he had beaten the Russian.

Sunday's match was the fourth time the pair had met in a final this season, with Medvedev having also previously beaten his opponent in Rotterdam and Miami.

Both players came up against tough opposition on their route to the final, with Medvedev besting Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, while Sinner defeated Lorenzo Sonogo, Francis Tiafoe and Andrey Rublev to make his third final of the season.

Sinner also made history coming into this final, after he became the first Italian man in the Open era to earn an impressive 55 wins in a single season.

It was a match worthy of a final, with both players battling hard to wrestle points from each other, with Medvedev taking an early foothold, breaking to win the fourth game, pulling the 22-year-old around the court with his powerful forehand.

But the Italian hit back almost immediately, breaking his opponent, before pulling the opening exchange back to 3-3.

Medvedev's serve was the more powerful throughout, with the 27-year-old sending down 11 aces to Sinner's four during the opening two sets, but he seemed to tire in the third, hitting several shots into the net to concede the match.

With both players currently in flying form, neither could take an early lead in the match. At 6-5, Medvedev had the chance to take the first set but couldn't break Sinner, who gallantly came back from 30-love down to hold out against the Russian's power and take the set to a tie-break.

In his last 52 matches, Sinner has won 15 of the 25 tie-breaks he had been involved in and he started well, breaking Medvedev first to go 1-0 up. The Russian would hit back winning on Sinner's next two serves - sweeping the ball back at the Italian with his powerful forehand to take a 4-1 lead. And while it seemed like Sinner had a hill to climb to come back, he would wrestle the tie-break and set off Medvedev, who fired a shot into the net to give Sinner the breaker 9-7.

Medvedev has made five appearances in finals this season, losing three of them and in each of those he failed to come back from losing the opening set.

Sinner grew in confidence at the start of the second set and defended Medvedev's rocket service much better and played some smart cross-court shots to win several key points against the 2021 US Open champion.

He had the opportunity to break his opponent in the fourth game of the set, taking him to deuce, before Medvedev brutally shut him out, striking two aces to stop Sinner's advances and bring the scores level at 2-2.

It was at that moment the Russian found his second gear, claiming back-to-back breaks to go 5-2 up. It was a ruthless passage of play, and while he was broken late, Medvedev bashed past Sinner to claim the second set 6-4.

At the start of the third set, neither player could take an early advantage, with Medvedev saving two break points, before Sinner would fend off of his own at 2-1.

The Italian pressed in the fourth game and the pair traded advantage for over 20 minutes, in what was a mammoth game, with Medvedev defending nine break points before finally relenting to the pressure of Sinner by hitting a backhand narrowly beyond the baseline.

Sinner couldn't make good his lead. Medvedev bounced back almost immediately with his power being too much for the Italian, dominantly brushing him away on his own serve.

Despite that, Medvedev seemed to tire and Sinner saw his opportunity, hitting back once again to go 4-2 up with some brilliant work at the net, flicking the ball past his opponent from close range.

At 5-2, Sinner needed to break Medvedev to claim the match, and despite the Russian going 40-0 up, Sinner slowly brought the game back to deuce, and then earned himself an advantage. Again, Sinner couldn't make good his first opportunity, slamming the ball into the net, before surrendering the game.

But on his own serve, the Italian would claim victory, smashing a brilliant serve that pinned Medvedev back into the corner of the court, before lofting his shot long.

In emerging victorious, Sinner claimed his fourth title of the ATP Tour season.

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