Sinner comes back from two sets down to defeat Medvedev; claims first Grand Slam title

Jannik Sinner ushered in a new era at the Australian Open, completing an outstanding fortnight with a stunning comeback to defeat Daniil Medvedev and win his first Grand Slam on Sunday.

Sinner rallied from two sets down to defeat Medvedev 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3, becoming the first Melbourne champion in a decade who was not named Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, or Roger Federer, in the first title match since 2005 without any of the "Big Three."

He dominated the tournament up until the final, defeating holder Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, but he had to dig deep to become the king and the first Italian man to win a major since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

"It takes a little while to process everything," said the 22-year-old, who became the youngest champion since Novak Djokovic on Rod Laver Arena in 2008.

"I'm extremely happy how I handled things. The situation on court was very, very tough."

"The most important part was the support I had throughout these two weeks. I felt that many people were watching also from home on the TV, so I just tried my best."

"I was a little bit in trouble today with two sets to love down and in a little bit over one hour. So I just tried to stay positive, trying to stick to the game plan, which I had to adjust a little bit."

Sinner's star has been rising, and he prepared for success on the big stage by defeating Djokovic at the ATP Finals and winning the Davis Cup at the end of last year, leading his country to their second team title.

A Grand Slam victory was the next step toward keeping up with fellow young gun Carlos Alcaraz, who already has two, and Sinner handled his task in Melbourne with efficiency.

However, in Medvedev, he faced a man eager to forget the pain of two Australian Open final defeats -- to Djokovic in 2021 and Nadal in five sets in 2022 -- and the Russian showed no signs of a mental hangover from those clashes.

Medvedev, who became the first man since Pete Sampras nearly three decades ago to reach the final after multiple comebacks from two sets down, got off to a flying start, cruising through the first set with two breaks.

Sinner had dropped his serve only three or four times in the tournament, and he appeared to be concerned about the flat trajectory of his opponent's shots early in the match.

Medvedev's only previous loss in 51 Grand Slam matches on hardcourts after winning the first set came in the 2022 final at Melbourne Park to Rafael Nadal, and the 27-year-old nicknamed the "Octopus" quickly got one tentacle on the trophy.

After squandering four break points in the second game, which lasted nearly 12 minutes and featured five deuces, Medvedev took a 3-1 lead on his way to winning the second set as Sinner's chances of responding faded with the setting sun.

Sinner broke back and nearly got another late in the second set as Medvedev showed signs of frailty after more than 20 hours on the court before Sunday, but the Russian pushed on with plenty of support from the crowd.

The fourth seed missed a forehand pass at the net after a 31-shot rally in the tenth game of the third set, but shrugged it off to break Medvedev and win the set, beginning his comeback.

"I like to dance in the pressure storm," Sinner said.

"I like it because that's where most of the time I bring out my best tennis. I'm also quite relaxed on this occasion, because I always try to enjoy on the court."

"So I think pressure is a privilege, to be honest."

Sinner saved a breakpoint at 3-3 in a tense fourth set with a big ace and pounced on Medvedev's serve again late on to tie the match at two sets apiece, before a crucial break for a 4-2 lead in the decider set him up for victory.

He celebrated by dropping to his back on the blue court and climbing into the stands to embrace his coaches, Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi.

Former US Open champion Medvedev suffered heartbreak once more, having twice come back from two sets down to reach the Melbourne Park final, only to lose for the fifth time in six major title matches.

Medvedev sounded upbeat despite spending a Grand Slam record 24 hours and 17 minutes on court.

"I'm dreaming more than ever, probably not today but in general in life," Medvedev said.

"I wanted to win. I was close. Was I really close or not? Tough to say but I wasn't far."

SportsLigue