Jannik Sinner brings an Italian back to the final in Rome 47 years after Adriano Panatta .
The world number 1 defeats the American Tommy Paul, number 12 in the ranking, with the score of 1-6, 6-0, 6-3. A scary set, then a domination punctuated by a small lapse in the decisive partial.
A handicap start for the South Tyrolean, surprised by an extraordinary Paul, who serves and returns very well, holds up to the infernal rhythm of the exchanges, anticipates the shots and puts the Italian in difficulty also with great angles, splendid accelerations and some variations, first of all the backhand. Jannik gets nervous («The ball jumps a lot», he says turning to his corner), starts to make too many mistakes and in a flash we are 5-0 for the American, who closes the first set with the score of 6-1 in half an hour .
But Sinner always knows how to find the key to winning the match, and he does it this time too . He finds more precision in his service (82% of first serves in the second set) and in his rebound shots, he uses the backhand down the line more often, leaving Paul no escape. The match turns at the beginning of the second set: first Jannik finds the break of 2-0 with a great backhand down the line, then he gets out of a very complicated situation by placing two aces at 15-40, moves to 3-0 and begins to chip away at the certainties of the American. The temperature of the Foro Italico Centre Court begins to rise and ends 6-0, the score of the first set is returned with interest .
The script seems obvious, the one we have seen many times with a phenomenon like Djokovic. And the third and decisive set begins in the same way the second one ended, with Tommy Paul increasingly worn out by Jannik's overwhelming power and pace. Sinner immediately wins a breakpoint with an impressive forehand down the line, then the American takes care of it with a double fault to give him the 2-0 . At 3-0 comes a worrying lapse (as already happened in the second and third round with De Jong and Cerundolo) that with a series of errors brings Paul back into the match. Counterbreak, 3-2 Jannik and the match is reopened. Not for long, because Sinner immediately breaks Paul's serve thanks also to a splendid defense concluded with a backhand down the line winner . Then he holds the next two service games and closes 6-3 on the third match point, earning the final act of the tournament upon his return after a three-month forced stop.
Sunday is the long-awaited appointment with the final, in which the Italian will challenge his rival Carlos Alcaraz . The Spanish champion defeated Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals with a score of 6-3, 7-6 . The dream of an all-Italian final has faded, but it will still be a great show at the Foro: for the greatness of the protagonists, the two strongest players in the world, and for the contrast of styles that makes their matches almost always epic battles. From Sinner's perspective, what worries him more than the shocking start is obviously the greatness of his opponent, but also the small lapse in the third set (it's the third time it's happened in this tournament) and the fact that he touched his right leg several times right in the decisive set. We hope it's nothing serious, but he himself is the one to reassure everyone: "A blister on my foot, sometimes I feel it more and it also affects my leg."
Italy is also present in two other finals : the women's singles final, with Jasmine Paolini challenging Coco Gauff , and the women's doubles final, where Paolini and her friend Sara Errani once again face the pair formed by Kudermetova and Mertens .
Jannik's words
"Now I need incredible tennis if I want to win. I came here wanting to play two or three matches and I'm in the final, this is incredible. Regardless of the result, it gives me a lot of confidence ahead of Roland Garros. Rome is a special place, I'll give it everything I have," Sinner said after the victory.
"I think we have seen that every day is different," he added, referring to the differences with the match against Ruud. "This is the beauty of sport, I tried to stay there and I can definitely play better. In the final I will have to raise the level if I want to win ."
Then, addressing the audience at the Forum: «You are crazy, you give me a huge hand, we filmed a race where I didn't feel well. But it was important to win» .