On Oct. 26, Jannik Sinner played Alexander Zverev in the finals of the Erste Bank Open — commonly known as the Vienna Open. The two players previously met in the 2025 Australian Open in January, where Zverev had fallen to Sinner in straight sets with a score line of 3-6, 6-7, 3-6. In Vienna, Zverev had a chance to redeem himself, but he fell short again. 

Sinner defeated Zeverev in a three set match with a score line of 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. The Australian Open is a grand slam, so the matches are played best out of five sets. However, the Vienna Open is categorized as an ATP Tour 500 series tournament, so it is played best out of three sets, so Sinner did not have a straight set victory. In fact, Sinner had to battle from behind after losing the first set to Zverev. 

The match lasted roughly two hours and 28 minutes, with Zverev taking four out of the first five games. While Sinner did lose the first set, he won the first three games of the second set making the score 3-0. He ultimately served for the set at 5-3. The two competitors were neck and neck in the third set, reaching a score of five sets to five at one point. However, Sinner was able to break Zverev’s serve in the eleventh game, allowing him to serve for the match at 6-5. 

This was Sinner's second victory in Vienna, the first being in 2023. This win also allowed Sinner to continue his streak of 21 wins on indoor hard courts. Additionally, this is Sinner’s second title of the month, having clinched a victory at the start of October at the China Open. While Sinner has won a number of titles, he posted on his Instagram about his win, “This one feels very special [trophy emoji] Thank you all for the support [red heart emoji]” 

In a British Broadcasting Corporation sports article published on Oct. 26, a quote by Sinner says, “[the win] feels amazing. It was such a difficult start for me. I tried to stick in there mentally, trying to play my best tennis when it counts.” 

This tournament also holds significance as Sinner works to dethrone Carlos Alcaraz as world number one. After this victory, Sinner is only 840 points behind Alcaraz. After Sinner’s loss to Alcaraz in the 2025 U.S. Open, Sinner lost his number one ranking. While Sinner still has ground to make up, every point matters on the search for number one. 

For today, Sinner can revel in his win in Vienna. In the same BBC article published on Oct. 26, Sinner is quoted as saying, "It has been such a special week. It is always the highlight of my calendar to come and play here in Vienna." A truly accomplished player, Sinner has a bright future ahead.