Jannik Sinner secured a win which exploded in the closing stages on Friday as he defeated Novak Djokovic for the fourth straight time to book a place in the French Open final.
Early on, the Italian world No. 1 kept the drama to a minimum as he began methodically moving towards what ended as a 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (3) semi-final defeat of the three-time Roland Garros winner and 25-time Grand Slam singles champion.
But the action heated up late in the third set, with Sinner saving three Djokovic set points in a 12-minutes game punctuated by a linecall argument from the Serb.
Sinner eventually prevailed, holding for 5-all and concluding his evening’s work in a tiebreaker on his third match point as a Djokovic return hit the net after three and a quarter hours.
Sinner has reached the title match without the loss of a set as he worked to defeat the 38-year-old Serb legend.
“This was such a special occasion for me, playing Novak in a Grand Slam semi-final,” the Italian said. “I had to step up and play the best tennis that I could.
“Novak is a role model for all us young players, I’m happy how I handled the situation.
“What he is doing is incredible. We are lucky to see him playing such high-level tennis. Playing him here is amazing, but I tried not to think about that (his reputation).
“Before coming onto court you feel the tension and what is coming.”
Sinner, winner of the last two Grand Slams in New York and Melbourne, will play for his third title at a major on Sunday against Carlos Alcaraz after the Spanish second seed advanced when Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti retired injured in the fourth set,
The Sinner match moved at a leisurely pace, with the first two sets taking two hours to complete.
Sinner avoided a rare tight spot as he lost serve in the 10th game of the second set but broke straight back before taking a two-set-to-one lead moments lateras Djokovic was massaged on his upper right thigh.
Alcaraz and Sinner have been playing since 2021, with the Spaniard winning their last four matches dating to March, 2024.
“My head to head against Carlos doesn’t look very good,” Sinner said. “But I’m happy to be in the final; we will see what we can do.
“These are very rare and special moments in my career, I try to enjoy them.”
Losing semi-finalist Musetti said he will need to have further examinations to pinpoint the exact problem with his left leg which forced his retirement against Alcaraz.
“I’m honestly sad and disappointed on how it ended, but still a great match so far (as it went” the Italian said.
“I felt it at the beginning of the third when I was serving, I started losing a little bit of strength on the left leg.
“It was definitely going worse and worse, so I decided to stop. I think that was the right decision, even if it was not what I wanted.
“Physically for me it was really intense. At the end I was feeling these kind of problems.
“Tomorrow I will do exams, and I will of course see and evaluate the situation.
He added: “I knew even before stepping on court that I had to play probably the best match of my career.
“For part of it, I was doing a great job, I would say.. I was there physically, technically, mentally. I think I was playing right.”
Main photo:- Jannik Sinner celebrates winning Semi-final – by Roger Parker International Sports Fotos
