Sinner sails into Toronto Masters final

Jannik Sinner booked his third career final at a Masters 1000 on Saturday as he held off Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-4 in their semi-final in Toronto.

The Italian sixth seed has finished runner-up twice at the elite 1000 level, in Miami 2021 and last spring against Daniil Mevedev.

Sinner tamed American Paul, who was still riding the momentum from his quarter-final upset of world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.

The winner will play for the seventh trophy of his career on Sunday against Alex de Minaur, who beat Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-3.

Sinner owns his series with the Aussie, 4-0.

De Minaur is the first Australian to play a Canadian final since 2001 (Patrick Rafter).

Sinner moved through for a victory which included the longest rally of the week – 46 shots – late in the second set.

The Italian was broken while serving for the win, but broke back in the next game to close it out.

“This was a fight, he was playing great,” Sinner said. “This is what I play for – the big matches.

“I know the feeling of a Masters 1000 final, hopefully I can show my best tennis tomorrow.

“I’m happy with how I reacted to situations on the court. I’m happy to be in the final again. The pressure is something great, it’s positive.”

Sinner leads de Minaur 4-0 in their career series.