On a mild Sunday evening in Melbourne, world number one Jannik Sinner of Italy claimed the Australian Open’s Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, besting Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 in the 2025 men’s final.
It marked Sinner’s third major title, after dominating both here and at the US Open last year; world number two Zverev, on the other hand, was looking to claim his first title after three appearances in a major final (most recently, at last year’s French Open).
The match started fairly quietly, with strong service games from both players but few long rallies. As Zverev’s forehand started to break down, however, Sinner eked out a break to take a 5-3 lead, later consolidating to win the set. The second set was slightly dodgier, with both players’ first-serve accuracy dropping considerably (from about 80% to 50%, in the Italian’s case), and Sinner appearing to grip his left hamstring after one point. Still, the play was workmanlike, and after an exciting rally to hold off set point, Sinner eventually forced a tiebreak, winning it 7-4. (Just after this, Zverev vented by beating up a few of his rackets on the sidelines.)
The tempo of the points picked up a bit at the start of the third set, giving the considerable crowd both in the stands of the Rod Laver Arena and ambling around Melbourne Park, which sits just a few minutes outside downtown Melbourne, some hitmaking to get excited about. However, it wasn’t long before Sinner cruised to a speedy win, proving himself the man to beat on this surface.
After a brief disturbance from a member of the audience, who, after Zverev stepped up to accept his second-place prize, yelled, “Australia believes Olya and Brenda! Australia believes Olya and Brenda!”—a reference to Zverev’s recent domestic abuse allegations—the player gave brief remarks.
“Congratulations to Jannik. You more than deserve it,” he said. “You’re the best player in the world by far. I was hoping that I could be more [competitive] today, but you’re just too good. It’s as simple as that.” He then thanked his team, acknowledging their hard work to get him back into fighting shape after a bad ankle injury in 2022.
After acknowledging Zverev’s hard work during the tournament, Sinner took a moment to thank his own team, which he’d overhauled last year after testing positive for a banned substance at Indian Wells. (Though the International Tennis Integrity Agency found “no fault or negligence” on Sinner’s own part, he is still tied up in a complicated doping case that won’t be resolved for another few months.)
Then, he turned his attention to the crowd, which had been in Sinner’s corner from day one. “The most important part is you guys…it was an amazing atmosphere,” he said. “I felt your love. See you again next year.”