Jannik Sinner fights back to set up Carlos Alcaraz clash in Italian Open final
Jannik Sinner came from a set down to claim victory over Tommy Paul and set up a meeting with Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Italian Open.
Sinner returned to action this week for the first time since the Australian Open following a three-month doping ban and he has eased straight back into his groove.
The world number one needed to do it the hard way against Paul after struggling in the first set, but rallied to clinch a 1-6 6-0 6-3 triumph for his 26th successive match win.
Sinner will now face Alcaraz for the first time this season. The last time the pair met was in the final of the China Open last October where the Spaniard fought back from a set down to lift the title.
Alcaraz won all three clashes between the two last season, which was half of Sinner's overall losses for the campaign.
Sinner lost just one game in his crushing 6-0 6-1 win over Casper Ruud in the previous round in Rome but started surprisingly slow in his semi-final and American Paul was on hand to punish him.
It was the first set Sinner had dropped in the tournament but the 23-year-old Italian responded in style with a crushing 6-0 success in the second to force a decider.
With the home fans on his side, Sinner raced into a 3-0 lead before being pegged back to 3-2. However, Sinner was relentless and he would go on to seal victory in one hour and 44 minutes.
Sinner said on Sky Sports: "I just tried to stay there mentally. Today the conditions were completely different. It's colder, the ball is heavier, I struggled with that a bit and he broke me straight away which was a punch in my face but I tried to stay there mentally.
"Winning this one game for me was important, tennis can change quickly.
"Today I showed every moment is crucial and I'm very happy about that, and to be here in the final. If I want to win on Sunday, I have to play my best tennis. Incredible to be here in the final."
Alcaraz booked his spot in Sunday's final after defeating Italian Lorenzo Musetti in straight sets earlier on Friday.
The world number three comfortably took the first set in just under an hour and battled back from 3-1 down in the next set to put his name in the Rome showpiece.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Amelie Mauresmo says French Open organisers will address problem of empty seats
French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo will address the problem of empty seats for early matches ahead of next year's Roland Garros. Women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka and Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng played out one of the biggest match-ups of the tournament in the quarter-finals. But with the match beginning at 11am, the vast Court Philippe-Chatrier was almost deserted, with many of the French spectators having lunch instead. Mauresmo said: 'We are aware of this, and we will definitely work on the solutions that we can find for the future. 'In two weeks we have our debrief all together and definitely talk about these subjects and see how we can make it work better.' The lack of women's matches in the prime-time night sessions remains a hot topic but Mauresmo once again stressed that is purely down to men's best-of-five set matches being longer, ensuring value for money for ticket holders. 'I think we wouldn't be having this conversation if we would have the same format for both games, because in my opinion it's the length or the possible length of the match that is making it hard for us in terms of scheduling,' she added.' The French Open remains the last of the four grand slams to still use line judges rather than electric line calling, which is currently considered not reliable on clay. Former Wimbledon champion Mauresmo said the standard of line judging was good at the tournament, but admitted the issue still remains up for discussion. 'Generally speaking, we had a very high level and this is a very great satisfaction for us, because, as you know, we are the last of the Mohicans to some extent with the line judges,' she said. 'We will be looking at it again this year, in what way would there not be line judges next year. I don't really have the answer to that, but we will look at that question.'
The Sun
33 minutes ago
- The Sun
Alejandro Garnacho jets off to Rome with girlfriend as Saudis prepare to rescue outcast from Man Utd nightmare
ALEJANDRO GARNACHO has jetted out on holiday to escape his Manchester United nightmare. The Argentine forward's Old Trafford career appears over after being told to find a new club by boss Ruben Amorim. 6 6 6 6 Garnacho was left fuming after being benched for the Europa League final last month. He later angered his teammates after giving an interview where he described United's season as 's**t'. The 20-year-old cut a dejected figure on the Red Devils' disastrous post-season tour of Asia. Garnacho was spotted in an altercation with a fan, before flashing the middle finger to supporters after a loss to the ASEAN All Stars. The former Puskas Award winner has jetted out to Rome with girlfriend Eva Garcia for some much-needed R&R. Garcia posted a host of snaps of the pair enjoying the Italian capital with their young son Enzo. The influencer - who has her own jewellery line - uploaded the memories to her 664,000 Instagram followers. Eva posed infront of the Trevi Fountain, before enjoying coffee in the sun with her boyfriend of over four years. SunSport exclusively revealed last month United want £50million for Garnacho, who joined the club's youth ranks from Atletico Madrid in 2020. The 20-year-old has made Chelsea his No1 choice. Gary Neville names four Man Utd stars who must leave this summer Garnacho is also attracting attention from Napoli, but would prefer to stay in the Premier League. United rejected a £40m January bid from the Naples club for Garnacho but may get twice that from the Saudis. Pro League club Al-Nassr are preparing an audacious bid with Cristiano Ronaldo's future at the club uncertain. Garnacho's relationship with Amorim fell apart after a dressing room spat boiled over infront of teammates. Amorim reportedly told Garnacho he needs to "pray he can find a new club." United have since signed Matheus Cunha and are eyeing up Swede goal machine Viktor Gyokeres. Garnacho appeared in 36 Premier League games last season, contributing 6 goals and 3 assists. Following Europa League heartbreak against Tottenham, the Argentine refused to be drawn on his future at United. Garnacho said: "Until we reached the final, I played every round. "And I played 20 minutes today - I don't know. "I'm going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next." 6
Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Liverpool set to make final offer for Florian Wirtz after Bayer Leverkusen REJECTED £113million offer for star man - and the eye-watering fee sources say will seal the deal for No 1 transfer target
Bayer Leverkusen are holding out for around £118million to wrap up the Florian Wirtz deal and the German club are braced for Liverpool to make another big-money bid in the next 24 hours. The German attacking midfielder is expected to play in their Nations League third-fourth play-off this afternoon against France in Stuttgart – but attention will soon turn to completing his move to the Premier League. Leverkusen are resigned to losing Wirtz but are keen to maximise the finances they receive for their prized asset, who has his heart set on joining Liverpool after turning down Bayern Munich and Manchester City this summer. On Friday, Liverpool tabled an offer to Bayer Leverkusen for Florian Wirtz of £113million, which was a base £100m with the rest coming in add-ons. That was rejected as the German club are asking for £126m – though the Reds are unprepared to go quite that far. But sources in Germany say Leverkusen are now ready for what will likely be a final, written offer from Liverpool that could total £118m when factoring in bonuses and add-ons. At this stage the clubs are discussing the details of the deal in terms of the bonuses and Leverkusen are said to want an increase in add-ons whether achievable or not. All parties are confident a deal can be struck as Wirtz is said to be desperate for the move and Leverkusen are not planning to stand in his way – if they are remunerated in a fair way. Meanwhile, Liverpool are hoping to step up their pursuit of Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez in the coming days. The Cherries remain insistent on their £45m valuation but Reds transfer chief Richard Hughes, once of Bournemouth, will try to negotiate that down. After the Wirtz and Kerkez deals are wrapped up, the Premier League champions will look to balance the books. Federico Chiesa is weighing up a return to Italy after barely featuring for Liverpool since his switch from Juventus last August. Sales of Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott and Kostas Tsimikas could also happen, though nothing is advanced yet.
