Photo credit: Internazionali BNL d’Italia Facebook
Rhythmic clapping from the Court Centrale crowd greeted world No. 1 Jannik Sinner as he stepped out for his Rome semifinal debut.
Receiving a rock star welcome from the faithful, Sinner amped up the pace of his declarative drives rallying past Tommy Paul 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 into his maiden Rome final.
It is the 26th consecutive victory for Sinner, who has won 40 of his last 41 matches.
Continuing his quest to become the first Italian man since legendary Adriano Panatta in 1976 to win Rome, Sinner will square off against the last man to beat him: archrival Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster Rome final.
The Sunday afternoon final is a showdown of streaks: Sinner rides that 26-match winning streak, while Alcaraz has won three in a row against the Italian Davis Cup hero, including a mesmerizing five-set win in the 2024 Roland Garros semifinals. Earlier, Alcaraz denied the prospect of an all-Italian final deconstructing Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6(4) in a rematch of last month’s Monte-Carlo final which the Spaniard won.
Reigning Roland Garros champion Alcaraz improved to 26-2 on red clay since last May.
It is the 25th Tour-level final for Alcaraz, who carries an ATP-best 29-5 record on the season into the Sinner showdown.
After completing his three-month suspension, Sinner’s Rome matches have been must-see TV—drawing Alcaraz’s attention too.
“He’s playing great. I’ve been watching his matches,” Alcaraz said of Sinner. “His level is really high right now. Every time that I play against him is always a battle, is always really, really tough.
“I kind of enjoy that moments, as well. But I play him in the final would be even more challenging playing against him at home with the people behind him supporting him. It’s going to be a really difficult challenge…
“I have to be ready to put my best tennis and my best tennis mental strength if I want to deal with that match in the right way.”
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