Jannik Sinner is once again Wimbledon champion after grinding past Alexander Zverev in a four-set final that swung on two tight tiebreaks before the Italian took control, winning 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-4.

The opening two sets were a dead heat, with neither man able to string together back-to-back games. Zverev leveled the first set at 6-6 and edged the breaker 9-7 to move ahead. The second set played out almost identically: this time it was Sinner who fought back to force the tiebreak, and he took it to square the match. From there, the top-ranked Italian pulled away, closing out the third and fourth sets to seal his fifth Grand Slam title and his first of the season.

The win makes Sinner the 10th man in the Open Era to defend a Wimbledon title successfully, joining a list that runs through Rod Laver, Björn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. It also denied Zverev, playing in his first Wimbledon final, a chance at a piece of tennis history: no man since 1968 has followed up a maiden major title with another at the very next Slam. Zverev had claimed his first major crown at the French Open weeks earlier.

Sinner’s trophy is also his sixth title of the year on tour, a stretch that included completing the Career Golden Masters in Rome back in May, cementing his position as the world No. 1. Gracious in defeat, Zverev praised his opponent during the trophy ceremony, acknowledging Sinner’s status as the sport’s top player.

With the count now sitting at five majors, Sinner trails only Alcaraz among active players over the past two seasons for Grand Slam titles won, with Zverev’s French Open crown the only other major to break their duopoly in that stretch. Attention now turns to the US Open, starting August 23, a title that, if Sinner adds it to his collection, would give him two majors in a season for the second year running.