Italian world number one Jannik Sinner won his first grass court title by edging his doubles partner Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(8) 7-6(2) in the Halle Open final on Sunday.
The win marks the 22-year-old Australian Open champion's 14th singles career title.
Poland's Hurkacz and Sinner, who played together in the Halle Open doubles, each saved a break point in the first set, traded aces and held serve forcing a tiebreak which Sinner won.
The top seed had a chance to go 2-0 up in the second set but Hurkacz saved two break points as both players again held their serves before Sinner claimed the title after another tiebreak.
“It’s inspiring what you’ve been doing the last 12 months,” Hurkacz told Sinner. “Jannik becoming number one in the world is really special. I try to learn from that. Big congrats.”
Sinner also congratulated fifth seed Hurkacz, who won the Halle Open in 2022, for reaching another final.
“We’re very good friends off court ... seeing us play the final here is very special. Thank you so much,” he said.
Sinner is preparing for Wimbledon, where he reached the semifinals last year. The major tournament starts on July 1.
• Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula knocked out top seed and fellow American Coco Gauff 7-5 7-6(2) in a rain-interrupted semifinal clash and went on to beat Anna Kalinskaya 6-7(0) 6-4 7-6(3) in the final to win the Berlin Open on Sunday.
The semifinal was suspended on Saturday due to rain, with world number five Pegula leading 7-5 6-6 (3-1). She wasted no time after the match resumed under a cloudy sky on Sunday, winning four of the last five points to reach the final.
Pegula lost a competitive first set to Russian Kalinskaya after both players broke the other three times each. But the American bounced back, breaking in the very first game to set up a win in the second set.
Pegula, 30, broke Kalinskaya to take a 3-1 lead in the third set, but the Russian 25-year-old fought back with a break of her own and saved four break points in the next game to make it 4-4.
Kalinskaya was on the verge of two more breaks that would have taken her to victory but the American saved five match points to win both games and take the set into tiebreaker, where she ultimately prevailed.
The win marked Pegula's fifth career singles title and the first on grass, days before she competes in Wimbledon where she reached the quarterfinals last year. — Reuters