Italy’s Jannik Sinner has reached his first French Open final after a straight-sets win over Novak Djokovic on Friday.
The 23-year-old world number one beat the Serbian star 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) in a thrilling semi-final on Court Philippe-Chatrier, ending Djokovic’s bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
“It was a special match for me,” said Sinner. “Playing Novak in the semi-final meant I had to play my best tennis. I’m very happy.”
Despite pushing hard in the third set, Djokovic missed three set points and struggled with a leg issue late in the match. Sinner kept his focus and served out the win in three hours and 16 minutes.
Sinner has now won four matches in a row against the 38-year-old Djokovic and leads their head-to-head 5-4. He also remains unbeaten in sets throughout this year’s tournament.
The Italian will now face world number two Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final, in a rematch of last year’s semi-final, which the Spaniard won in five sets. Alcaraz also defeated Sinner in the Italian Open final last month.
“Carlos has beaten me a few times recently,” Sinner said. “But I’ll give it my best on Sunday.”
The final will be historic — the first Grand Slam final between two players born in the 2000s. It also marks the sixth straight major title that won’t be won by Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, or Roger Federer.
Djokovic, who beat Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, was aiming to become the first man to win a Slam after beating all of the world’s top three. His attention will now turn to Wimbledon next month, where he will again try to surpass Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.
Sinner’s Strong Start
Sinner got the first break of the match in the fifth game after Djokovic mishit a backhand and then missed the ball completely on the next return.
He sealed the opening set with a love hold, ending it with a crisp backhand winner.
Djokovic began the second set with more energy and managed to break Sinner’s serve when he was leading 5-4. However, he couldn't hold serve in the next game despite leading 40-15 and received medical attention for his right leg soon after.
Sinner then wrapped up the second set with two clutch aces in a tight service game.
In the third set, Djokovic kept fighting and even had three set points at 5-4, but Sinner saved them all. A questionable line call frustrated the Serbian, and he lost momentum in the tie-break.
Sinner quickly took a 3-0 lead in the breaker, and Djokovic’s missed overhead handed him a clear advantage. The match ended when Djokovic netted a final shot, sending Sinner into his second Grand Slam final.
Both Sinner and Alcaraz are unbeaten in Slam finals — a streak that will end for one of them on Sunday.
(Vanguard)
