(CNN) — Carlos Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Open title in anticlimactic circumstances as rival Jannik Sinner retired due to illness just 23 minutes into the match.

Alcaraz raced into a 5-0 lead in the first set of Monday’s final, the 14th matchup between the world’s two best players, when an out-of-sorts and emotional Sinner announced that he was unable to continue.

“I’m super, super sorry to disappoint you,” Sinner said to the crowd in his on-court interview. “From yesterday, I didn’t feel great. I thought that I would improve during the night, but it came up worse.

“I tried to come out, tried to make it at least a small match, but I couldn’t handle more, so I’m very, very sorry for all of you.”

This was Alcaraz’s sixth ATP title this year and 22nd overall, going some way to avengi

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