It wasn't the final yet, but perhaps it's even more valuable. Once again Jannik Sinner beats the world number 1 Novak Djokovic in four sets, three of which were won overwhelmingly (6-1 6-2 to start, then the decisive 6-3), but the challenge could have lasted even less if the South Tyrolean hadn't seen a match point canceled in the tiebreak of the third set before succumbing. Sinner thus becomes the first Italian tennis player to reach the final of the Australian Open, breaking the decade and a half reign of Nole, and that alone would be enough to make today's day historic. But the symbolic significance, at this point, might be something else: after the third victory in the last four encounters with the world number one, the first in a Grand Slam (there were successes in the group stage of the ATP Finals at the end of the year, with a revenge in the final against the Serb, and in the Davis Cup), today's match at the Laver Arena could possibly mark the turning point, the beginning of a new era in tennis, the official end of the old guard's dominance, and the start of the Sinner era. Now, in the final, he awaits either Danil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev, with the certainty of being able to compete on at least equal terms.
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