Jannik Sinner wins Citi Open, becomes youngest ATP 500 champion
Italy's Jannik Sinner, on Monday, won the Citi Open in Washington after beating Mackenzie McDonald 7-5, 4-6, 7-5 in the final. The 19-year-old became the first teenager to win an ATP 500 event since the category was created in 2009. Sinner won his second ATP title in the ongoing season and third overall. He dropped only one set throughout the tournament.
Third-youngest champion of Citi Open
Sinner had become the first Italian finalist in the Citi Open history. He ended up becoming the event's third-youngest champion after Andy Roddick in 2001 (18) and Juan Martin del Potro (19) in 2008. Sinner is the youngest to lift an ATP 500 trophy.
Sinner is 29-14 in the season
Sinner has a win-loss record of 29-14 in the season. Notably, the Italian lost four consecutive matches to Christopher O'Connell, Marton Fucsovics, Jack Draper, and Rafael Nadal respectively, prior to the tournament. In February, Sinner won the ATP 250 tournament in Melbourne ahead of the 2021 Australian Open. He had defeated Stefano Travaglia to clinch the title.
Here is what Sinner said after the match
"I think there is still much work to do, to be honest. A lot of experience to put in, working hard as we are doing now, and trying to play important matches and important moments of a match," Sinner said after his win. He added, "Today I think I had a lot of them. I can learn many things [from] today."
Alexander Zverev was the youngest champion before Sinner
This was the 146th ATP 500 event since the category was created. Before Sinner won, the 20-year-old Alexander Zverev was the youngest champion at this level. He claimed the Citi Open title in 2017 after defeating Kevin Anderson in the final.
McDonald could have been the youngest American champion
McDonald, who finished as the Citi Open runner-up, was trying to become the first American champion since Roddick in 2007. He could have also been the third-lowest-ranked champion in the tournament's history. McDonald defeated Nick Kyrgios, Benoit Paire, Ilya Ivashka, Denis Kudla, and Kei Nishikori en route to the final. The American is 13-11 in the ongoing season.
