New York, 20 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - World number one Jannik Sinner defeated home favourite Frances Tiafoe in Monday's final of the Cincinnati Open, becoming the first Italian man to win the title.

The Italian took one hour and 37 minutes to defeat the American 7-6 (7-4), 6-2.

Sinner continued to make history after becoming the first Italian man to become world number one after a strong performance in the French Open in June, where he lost in the final to Carlos Alcaraz.

In Cincinnati, the Italian reached the final after coming back from a set down against Alexander Zverev on Sunday in a marathon semi-final, despite what looked like issues with his hip.

Top seed Sinner also came back from a set down against Andrey Rublev in the previous round.

The 23-year-old has so far won five trophies this season, having won the Australian Open as well as in Rotterdam, Miami and Halle. He is the only player to claim two ATP Masters 1000 crowns in 2024.

"It was a very difficult week, tough week. I'm very happy about about today's match," Sinner said in his on-court interview after winning the final.

"It was very tough mentally. Had such an amazing run here, and I tried to do my best today. We both were quite tired from yesterday. We both felt a lot of tension, but I'm very glad about [the] level I played today, especially in the important moments."

Photo: EPA