Jannik Sinner overpowered Alexander Zverev in a clinical win, while Madison Keys delivered a fearless performance to win her first Grand Slam title.

Sinner broke (or equalled) several records himself, such as joining Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic (twice), Ivan Lendl, and John McEnroe in winning three consecutive Grand Slam titles on hard courts. He became the eighth man in the Open Era, which began in 1968, to win his first three or more Major title matches (following Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg, Gustavo Kuerten, Federer, Stan Wawrinka, and Carlos Alcaraz).

A paragon of high-level consistency, Sinner also faced no break points in the final of a Major, a feat achieved only by Federer at the 2003 Wimbledon and Rafael Nadal at the 2017 US Open.

On the court, Jannik Sinner is both the proverbial irresistible force and the immovable object. The 23-year-old Italian possesses the nerves and precision of a diamond cutter and the killer instinct of a hired assassin. Sinner boasts perfect technique and smart tactics that he implements brilliantly. His power is devastating, yet he knows when and how to temper it with finesse.

Off the court, Sinner is the epitome of diplomacy and empathy. He defuses controversy, praises everyone from tournament staff to tennis greats, and exudes confidence and humility with refreshing authenticity.

This sui generis athlete fittingly displayed all his skill and character during his clinical 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 final triumph on the 120th birthday of the Australian Open.

Alexander (Sascha) Zverev enjoyed a deceptive 4-2 match edge over Sinner in their rivalry going into the 2025 AO final. Sinner began emerging as a superstar at the 2023 Davis Cup final, where he whipped Djokovic. Soon after, the Italian won his first Major at the Australian Open. In August 2024, the much-improved Sinner, then No. 1, beat Zverev in a close three-setter on the Cincinnati hard courts. When they met in this Melbourne final, Zverev’s No. 2 ranking was misleading because the Paris Olympics - where Djokovic outplayed Alcaraz for the gold medal - unjustifiably awarded no ranking points.

The most pertinent statistic was Zverev’s horrendous 1-12 career record against top-5 opponents at Grand Slam events. Tellingly, the 6’6” German caved in his two previous chances to win a Major. He blew a two-set advantage against Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final and suffered the same bitter fate against Alcaraz in the 2024 Roland Garros final. Conversely, Sinner racked up 47 wins in his first 50 matches as world No. 1, equalling the record set by Borg and Connors.

Any hope Zverev had of capturing his first Major after years of frustration faded early in Sinner’s decisive victory. Relaxed and confident, Sinner opened the final with an ace and easily held serve (at love), as he would throughout the match.

Zverev staved off two break points in the fifth game, but two games later, Sinner converted his sixth break point when Zverev erred on a backhand volley.

“Despite awesome serving, Zverev still lost this game,”. Not even getting 83 per cent of his rocket first serves in saved him from losing the first set, 6-3.

The 15,000 spectators in Rod Laver Arena cheered Zverev on to get back into the match, even though he looked resigned much of the time. When Sinner erred on a drop shot to make the score 5-6, 30-all in the second set, the crowd roared. But Sinner won the next two points to quash the threat and force a tiebreaker.

Serving at 4-all, Zverev suffered the unkindest cut of all when Sinner’s forehand clipped the top of the net and barely plopped over for a fluke net cord winner. On the next point, Zverev missed a backhand serve return and swiped his racket on the court in frustration. Sinner wrapped up the 7-4 tiebreaker with his trademark 1-2 punch - a wide serve followed by a forehand winner into the open court. Zverev smashed his racket during the changeover.

Zverev, like the fans, sensed there would be no miracle comeback for him, as there had been a year ago for Sinner against Daniil Medvedev. Sinner is a far better player now in every way. He has become a harder-hitting version of Djokovic, albeit slightly less athletic.

His mastery of the extreme open-stance two-hander - almost doing the splits while maintaining perfect balance - looks exactly like that of the hyper-flexible Djokovic.

Zverev failed to ignite the crowd with any positive body language, which, in turn, would have raised his energy level. An occasional chant of “Let’s go, Sascha!” wasn’t enough to lift his spirits or game in the third set. Sinner got the only service break he needed for 4-2. On championship point, Sinner showcased his versatility with a forehand drop shot followed by a backhand passing winner.

A final pitting Sinner against either Alcaraz, who captured the French Open and Wimbledon last year, or Djokovic would have been more entertaining and likely much closer. Unfortunately, seedings based solely on the flawed ATP rankings caused No. 7 Djokovic to face No. 3 Alcaraz prematurely in the quarterfinals. Djokovic prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, but it was a Pyrrhic victory as he tore his left hamstring muscle.

For the first time in their eight matches, the crowd pulled for the ageing (fading?) champion. The exasperated Alcaraz did himself no favours when he mimicked the injured Djokovic with fake hobbling.

Dream come true: The talented Madison Keys always dreamed of emulating the superstar sisters, Venus and Serena Williams. In her 46th Major appearance at the Australian Open this year, she won her first Grand Slam crown, beating defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.

When four-year-old Madison Keys first saw Venus Williams on TV, she was smitten with her dress. Her sports-loving parents told her she would have to play tennis to wear it. From then on, the talented American dreamed of emulating superstar sisters Venus and Serena.

In 2009, Keys became the seventh-youngest player to win a WTA main draw match at 14 years and 48 days, and the youngest since prodigy Martina Hingis in 1994. Soon after, she beat Serena in a World TeamTennis set, prompting Serena to describe her as “a future No. 1.” In 2016, Keys became the first American to debut in the Top 10 since Serena had done so in 1999.

Ever closer to fulfilling her girlhood dream, she faced close friend Sloane Stephens in the biggest match of their lives for the coveted title at the 2017 US Open. The pressure paralysed Keys. Making 17 errors in the first seven games, she self-destructed in a 6-3, 6-0 tearful debacle.

Keys to land farther inside the baseline, putting her in a better position to attack with her booming forehand. Concomitantly, she lowered her service toss to keep her swing continuous, which increased her consistency. Keys switched from a Wilson racket to a lighter Yonex, which she can manoeuvre better, and to harness her power with added topspin, she changed her strings from half polyester and half gut to all poly.

Ironically, Keys found inspiration from Sabalenka. The world No. 1 enjoyed a 4-1 dominance in their rivalry, beating her all three times on hard courts and both times at Slam events. “The one thing I really wanted to try to be better at was not playing more passively in big points and just trying to emulate the way she trusts her game and the way she goes after it,” she told Eurosport.

“If you’re able to do that and you miss and you lose, it’s on your terms. I think her ability to always go for it, no matter what the score, is really impressive.

She plays such fearless tennis. She has the ability to play so well that way. I think it’s unique.” – Paul Fein