In a stunning turn of events, Jannik Sinner came from two sets down to win the Australian Open final against Daniil Medvedev with a score of 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. Sinner, who had never before played in a major final, had defeated Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, breaking Djokovic's long-standing dominance of the tournament. With this win, Sinner became the first Italian to win the Australian Open, marking a potential generational shift in the world of tennis.
For Medvedev, the loss was his fifth in six major finals. Despite setting a record with his fourth five-set match of the tournament, and clocking a total of 24 hours and 17 minutes on court at a major in the Open era, his efforts fell short once again. This year, he had to win three five-set matches to reach the final, including two comebacks from two sets down. In contrast, Sinner had only dropped one set in six rounds until he lost two straight to Medvedev.
The match was intense from the start, with Medvedev appearing to want to win quickly after playing three five-set matches just to reach his sixth Grand Slam final. He had come back from two sets down in two of those matches, a feat that hadn't been achieved since 1995.
Although Sinner had ended Djokovic's unbeaten streak at Melbourne Park, he struggled early on against Medvedev, who broke in the third game and took the first set in just 36 minutes. Medvedev went on to secure two more service breaks in the fourth and sixth games of the second set, but was broken himself at 5-1 when trying to serve it out. He succeeded in his next try, however.
The third set went with serve until the 10th game, when Medvedev was just a point away from leveling at 5-5, but ultimately lost the set due to three forehand errors. This gave Sinner the momentum he needed to win the fourth set, again with a service break in the 10th game, and to recover immediately after mis-hitting a forehand that shocked the crowd.
It wasn't until the sixth game of the fifth set that Sinner finally had a firm grip on his first Grand Slam title, with Medvedev starting to fatigue. Sinner had triple break point against Medvedev and missed his first chance, but was able to convert with his next opportunity, securing a 4-2 lead with a forehand winner. From there, he didn't give Medvedev another chance.
Medvedev had previously faced either Djokovic or Rafael Nadal in all five of his previous major finals, winning only one, the 2021 U.S. Open title against Djokovic. He lost the other four, including the 2021 final in Australia to Djokovic and the 2022 final against Nadal, after taking the first two sets.
Throughout the tournament, Medvedev had emphasized his improved stamina and mental strength in tough five-set matches, but this time it was Sinner who prevailed. Medvedev had won his first six matches against Sinner, but has now lost four straight.
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