London, Jul 13: Defending champion Jannik Sinner retained his Wimbledon crown with a hard-fought 6-7(7), 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over French Open champion Alexander Zverev in a high-quality men's singles final on Centre Court on Sunday.

This victory marks his second consecutive title at the All England Club and the fifth Grand Slam trophy of his career. The 24-year-old continued his impressive dominance over the German, achieving a 10th straight win against Zverev. However, his streak of 14 consecutive sets won against him ended when he dropped the opening-set tiebreak.

Zverev, 29, was hoping to claim a second straight major title but was once again stopped by the world's top-ranked player. He now has an 0-7 record against No. 1-ranked players at Grand Slams. Sinner clinched the victory in style, hitting a stunning crosscourt backhand winner off a Zverev drop shot to earn championship point. He then finished the match with a powerful forehand winner up the line. After winning, the Italian collapsed onto the grass in celebration and embraced Zverev at the net.

After narrowly losing a fiercely contested opening-set tie-break, the Italian responded with remarkable composure to edge the second set in another tie-break before taking complete control of the contest. Sinner’s relentless baseline hitting, superior returning and calm temperament proved decisive as he sealed the biggest title of his career.

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Although Zverev fired 17 aces and landed 80 per cent of his first serves, Sinner was more clinical in the crucial moments. The Italian won 80 per cent of points on his first serve, claimed 68 percent on his second serve, converted two of his five break-point opportunities, and dominated from the baseline by winning 43 receiving points compared to Zverev’s 34.

Sinner finished the match with 145 points to Zverev’s 130 and won 25 games overall, underlining his consistency across the three-hour-plus contest.

The victory marks Sinner’s second Wimbledon crown and further cements his status as one of the sport’s leading stars, while Zverev’s wait for a maiden Grand Slam title continues despite another valiant effort on one of tennis’ biggest stages.

Brief score:
Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final: Jannik Sinner (Italy) bt Alexander Zverev (Germany) 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4.

(IANS)