Sinner crushes de Minaur to win Toronto title

Jannik Sinner notched the eighth title of his career as he crushed Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-1 on Sunday to claim a breakthrough Masters 1000 trophy with success in Toronto.

The Italian is only the second from his nation to win a tournament in the elite series after Fabio Fognini in Monte Carlo 2019.

He broke a jinx after losing Miami Masters finals in 2021 and 2023.

Sinner, who turns 22 next week, will climb to sixth in the rankings on Monday with the US Open start a fortnight away.

“I’m getting used to the difficult situations,” he said. “Twice in the first set I was up a break up and he broke back. But I stayed calm mentally, I was prepared for a long battle.

“I’m happy with how I reacted. In the second set I played better and tried to be more aggressive.”

Sinner said wind made the final even more of a challenge. “It was tough today with the wind, I’m happy with my level today.

“This makes you feel like you are doing the right thing,” he said after winning his fifth match without a loss against de Minaur.

After twice losing breaks in the opening set but securing one more to take the opener, Sinner swept through the second with ease, winning in 90 minutes on his second match point.