JANNIK SINNER OVERCOMES BEAT HURKACZ TO CLAIM FIRST GRASS TITLE AT ATP HALLE, AS TOMMY PAUL WINS QUEEN’S TITLE.

At the Halle Open, Jannik Sinner defeated Hurbert Hurkacz in straight sets to win his fourth title of 2024.

At the OWL Stadion in North Rhine-Westphalia, Sinner, the top-ranked player in the world, defeated the Pole 7-6(8) 7-6(2) in an hour and fifty minutes to win his maiden grass-court title. Hurkacz, ranked ninth in the world and the fifth seed in this tournament, won the title in 2022 at Halle.

At the Halle Open, Jannik Sinner defeated Hurbert Hurkacz in straight sets to win his fourth title of 2024.

In one hour and fifty minutes, the Italian team won the Pole 7-6(8) 7-6(2) at the OWL Stadion in North Rhine-Westphalia.

After losing a set in each of his opening three matches at the tournament, the world No. 1 had a rough start to his grass-court season. However, he came through with a trophy in his first tournament as the best player on the planet, becoming the ninth player to do so.

Before Sunday’s championship match, Sinner and Hurkacz were tied at 2-2 in their head-to-head match.

When it came to service breaks, Sinner and Hurkacz’s doubles partnership—which saw them advance to the men’s doubles semifinals at Halle—had nothing to split. Both sets were close and decided by tight tiebreaks.

Hurkacz missed a forehand in the dramatic first set, and Sinner raced to take the lead with a set point at 6-5.
But the Italian squandered the chance, as Hurkacz came within one point of winning the first game at 7-6.
Sinner increased his power and moved inside the baseline as a result, putting more pressure on the Pole.

That eventually paid off, as Sinner won the first set by scoring his third set point.

for Hurkacz was enticed into the net by Sinner, who then produced a wonderful lob that the Pole scrambled for, Hurkacz struck one of the shots of the year, a spectacular forehand slap-shot passing winner.

Similar to the first, there was nothing between the two in terms of service, and the second was also pushed into a breaker.
Hurkacz sliced a last backhand long, giving Sinner his fourth championship of the season. Sinner took the lead early and did not let up.

After the match, Sinner remarked, “I knew I had to serve really well, and you play only a couple of really important points throughout the whole set.”

“Therefore, I was content and made an effort to perform at my highest level throughout the crucial times. I’m thrilled to have won this competition because it feels nice to triumph on grass for the first time.
He made a few second serves in the tie-break at crucial points, which might have decided the match. That seems to be the key today, I suppose.

Sinner remarked of his opponent, “It’s nice to share the court with you. We are very good friends off the court.”
“It’s really nice to see us in the final together because we played doubles together earlier in the week. We never take anything for granted and put a lot of effort into achieving this outcome. We’ll not give up.

“Today, my girlfriend Anna had a show in Berlin. At five match points, she was eliminated. Although I’m terribly sorry for her, she had a fantastic week. Hurkacz remarked, “Jannik, congratulations.”

“You guys are working really hard. With Jannik emerging as the world’s top player, your work over the past 12 months has been incredibly inspirational. Since it’s so unique, I try to take lessons from it. Many thanks to all of you. Being here is a delight.

“I’ve previously experienced some success here. For me, 2022 was a truly wonderful year. Seeing so many of you guys here having a great time playing tennis makes us very happy to be here.

Tommy Paul won the Queen’s title elsewhere after beating Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets.

The local favorite, Carlos Alcaraz, had eliminated first seed and reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz before Paul, the fifth seed in London, defeated Jack Draper of Britain to advance to the final.

In 88 minutes, the American completed a 6-1 7-6(8) triumph in west London. With Taylor Fritz eliminated by Jordan Thompson in the quarterfinals, he will now hold the US No. 1 ranking.