MELBOURNE, Australia — Of all the praise bestowed on Jannik Sinner after he won his second consecutive Australian Open championship, and third Grand Slam title overall, nothing felt as significant as the comparison made by runner-up Alexander Zverev .

Jannik Sinner defended his Australian Open crown with a near-flawless display in the men's final Sunday, defeating second seed Alexander Zverev in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to claim his third career Grand Slam title.

In total, Sinner has won 36 of his last 37 matches, his only defeat coming against Carlos Alcaraz in the final of October’s China Open.