Next-Gen star Jannik Sinner wrapped up the 2020 calendar in tremendous fashion. The 19-year-old became the 12th teenager to win an ATP title since 2005. Sinner defeated Vasek Pospisil en route to his maiden ATP title to become the first player born in 2001 to do so. 

Italian Jannik Sinner did not come into Sofia Open 2020 as the favorite. The 19-year-old had to earn his ticket to the finals and he didn’t disappoint once he got there. He beat back-to-back seeded opponents to reach the finals and became the youngest Italian in the Open Era to reach an ATP tour championship match.

Pospisil had a major advantage in the match due to his huge serves and lasting experience. As a matter of fact, Pospisil delivered 14 aces in the match, whereas Sinner only managed four. But a better first serve percentage (77%) helped the Italian retaliate against his opponent.

As the finals went underway, Jannik Sinner got the better of his more experienced opponent in the first set. He broke Pospisil very early in the match to gain momentum and went on clinch the set 6-4.

However, Pospisil, a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist, bounced back with determination to outplay Sinner in the second. The Canadian clinched two break points to take hold of the second set and wasn’t really put to the during the process.

Jannik Sinner earns his maiden ATP title the hard way

Both finalists won a set each and the match went into the decider. It was all or nothing for Jannik Sinner and likewise, for Pospisil too. Both players were chasing their first career title, and it finally fell into the hands of the teenager via a tie-breaker.

Neither Sinner nor Pospisil gave any room for error in the final set. The match eventually went to a tie-break after neither player succeeded in breaking their opponent.

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This is when Sinner demonstrated his champion’s mentality to hold firm for the title. He clearly outshined his more experienced opponent to clinch his first ATP championship and created history in doing so.

Sinner also becomes the youngest ATP champion since Kei Nishikori in 2008. This year has certainly been surprising and it applies to tennis as well. With his victory Jannik Sinner becomes the sixth first-time titlist in 2020. 

The future certainly looks bright for the 2019 ‘Next Gen’ winner as there is a challenging road ahead. He’s proved he can take on mighty challenges and convert them to his advantage. Title #1 is now in his bag, but how many can he claim in the upcoming ATP season?