Article #76503

German briefly threatened before falling well short against world No 1 whose only weakness appears to be the weather

Shortly before 7pm, a full 162 minutes into this match, Alexander Zverev got his first break point on the Jannik Sinner serve. With the score still one set apiece and tied like a knot, this felt like a kind of hinge point. A humongous chance in a match preciously short on them. Sinner faulted. A priceless second serve for Zverev to look at.

The serve was a little safer than usual and Zverev returned it with interest. After a little exploratory baseline flirting, with no breakthrough in sight, Sinner simply flicked the switch: a perfect backhand on to the sideline, followed by a perfect drop shot, sending Zverev sprawling to the turf holding his knee. And in hindsight, those few seconds – right there – was the window.