Sinner will face Ruud in the Italian Open final, under the gaze of Italy’s president.
Jannik Sinner moved to within one victory of completing the career Golden Masters after defeating Daniil Medvedev to reach the final of the Italian Open in Rome on Sunday.
The match had been suspended on Friday evening due to heavy rain, with Sinner leading 4-2 in the deciding set.
When play resumed on Saturday afternoon, the world number one needed just 15 minutes to complete a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory. He failed to convert two match points at 5-3 on Medvedev’s serve but held his own service game to advance.
Chasing records
The win extended Sinner’s record ATP Masters 1000 winning streak to 33 matches, surpassing Novak Djokovic’s previous benchmark of 31.
Friday’s contest had been a physically taxing affair, with the 24-year-old Italian at times visibly struggling and leaning on his racquet between points.
After racing into a dominant 4-0 lead in the first set, he saw Medvedev claw back to win the second.
However, Sinner broke for a 2-1 lead in the decider before rain halted proceedings. He returned on Saturday markedly fresher to close out the match in two games.
“It was like the start of the match as there are nerves again,” Sinner said. “I am very happy with how I handled this situation.”
Final
His opponent in Sunday’s final, Norway’s Casper Ruud, proved equally dominant in the other semi-final, beating Italy’s Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1.
Should Sinner defeat 27-year-old Ruud in the final – set to begin at 17.00 – he would become only the second man after Djokovic to have won all nine Masters 1000 titles.
Italy’s president Sergio Mattarella will attend the final, amid hopes among the Italian fans that the country’s head of state will witness a home triumph.
The trophy will be presented by Adriano Panatta, 50 years after his victory at the 1976 Rome tournament – the last time an Italian man won the title on home soil.
Photo credit: Marco Iacobucci Epp / Shutterstock.com
