World No 1 Jannik Sinner faces defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the most eagerly anticipated men’s singles final since the start of the Rafael Nadal era 20 years ago at Roland Garros where the results were largely a foregone conclusion.
Italian top seed Sinner has been impressive since his return from a doping ban last month, charging into Sunday’s final without dropping a single set in his six matches in Paris.
The 23-year-old outclassed 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in their semifinal to confirm his superb form on clay after also reaching the final in Rome in May in his first tournament back from his ban. He was beaten there by Alcaraz in straight sets.
Any doubts that Sinner was lacking match practice were quickly dispelled by the ruthless efficiency with which he has dispatched all his opponents in Paris to set up a mouth-watering final against arguably the most gifted claycourt player since 14-time French Open champion Nadal.
Sinner had never before reached the final in Paris but he will be looking to add the Roland Garros title to his rapidly growing list of majors, which already includes two Australian Open crowns and last year’s US Open.
He is on a 20-match winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments after lifting the trophy in New York last year and then clinching the title in Melbourne at the start of this year.
“It doesn’t get any bigger now,” Sinner said of his burgeoning rivalry with the 22-year-old Alcaraz, who has seven wins and two defeats against the Italian in their head-to-head.
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Sinner sta dimostrando una forma impressionante dopo il rientro dal ban, specialmente su terra battuta. La sua vittoria contro Djokovic in semifinale è stata un vero spettacolo e conferma il suo potenziale su questa superficie. Nonostante la sconfitta a Roma contro Alcaraz, sembra che abbia imparato molto e si sia adattato rapidamente. La finale a Parigi rappresenta un’opportunità storica per aggiungere un altro titolo del Grande Slam al suo palmarès. La rivalità con Alcaraz sta diventando sempre più avvincente e potrebbe definire una nuova era del tennis. Credi che Sinner abbia ciò che serve per superare Alcaraz in questa finale e affermarsi come il nuovo re della terra battuta?