Doing it like the greats: A special Sinner win made of guts and grit

A 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 4th-rd win over Rune may seem like run-of-the-mill but it forced the ice-cool Italian to dig deep on Monday

- Rutvick Mehta [e-mail]

MUMBAI: When Jannik Sinner won the point that made him the 2024 US Open champion, he lifted both his arms, looked skyward for a couple of seconds, took a quick glance towards his box and walked up to the net. Try finding a more no-frills celebration from any 23-year-old to have won a Grand Slam.

On Monday, the moment Holger Rune's forehand drifted wide, Sinner dropped his head, grit his teeth and clenched his fist, pumping it extendedly. Try finding a more exuberant celebration from this 23-year-old ice-cool Italian.

This was no ordinary Sinner reaction. But then this was no ordinary Sinner victory. Even though a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 fourth-round scoreline may suggest otherwise.

Over the past one year, we're used to seeing Sinner all smooth and silky. Here he was all guts and grit. We're used to seeing Sinner sliding and sailing. Here he was huffing and puffing and, literally, shaking. We're used to seeing Sinner ascend with machine-like skill efficiency. Here he dug deep with greatness-like mental resolve.

The defending champion came out of it to deliver one of the most tenacious victories of his young career, in a match that involved multiple medical time-outs and a lengthy delay across three hours and 13 minutes on a hot Melbourne afternoon.