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The 21-year-old Italian, who enjoyed a run to
the Wimbledon semi-finals last month, felt his ability to deal
with pressure-packed situations helped him to navigate past De
Minaur.
"I am getting used to difficult situations. I was a break up a
couple times and he broke back but I tried to stay calm
mentally. I was prepared for a long battle," Sinner, the first
Italian to win the event, said during his on-court interview.
"In the second set I played a little bit better, I raised the
level a little but and I tried to stay a little more aggressive
... I am very happy about my level today."
Sinner played well from the start and showed few nerves as he
flashed his weapons and took more risks than De Minaur, who
struggled to come up with winners.
The two friends, who lost in the first round of the men's
doubles here earlier this week, twice swapped breaks in a tight
opening set before Sinner held and then closed out the frame
with a break at love.
Sinner took control in the second set when he consolidated a
break for the first time all match to move ahead 4-1 and then
broke again before closing out the 90-minute encounter on his
serve to improve to 5-0 all-time against De Minaur.
"It means a lot," Sinner said of the win. "When you work hard
such a result can help you, and in your mind it makes you feel
like you are doing the right things with your team and I am
happy to share this with all the people who are close to me
every day."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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