Pakistan, May 17 — Jannik Sinner overcame fatigue and kept his concentration during the night to defeat Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 when their rain-delayed semifinal resumed on Saturday, extending his winning run to 28 matches and advancing to the Italian Open final against Casper Ruud.
The top-seeded Sinner is just one win away from joining Novak Djokovic as the second man to claim all nine Masters 1000 titles. Rome remains the only tournament in the Masters series—considered the most significant outside of the Grand Slams—that Sinner has yet to conquer. Djokovic managed to win every Masters event at least twice. Sinner was leading 4-2 in the third set when the match was called off late on Friday. On Saturday, after play resumed, the Italian quickly concluded the match, securing victory on his third match point after Medvedev had successfully defended two on his serve. Earlier that Friday, during a nearly two-hour rain delay on the red clay of the Foro Italico, Ruud maintained his concentration to defeat local player Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1. Coco Gauff will face Elina Svitolina in the women’s final later on Saturday. The men’s final is set for Sunday. Sinner is also aiming to become the first Italian man in fifty years to lift the Rome trophy—since Adriano Panatta in 1976. Panatta will present the title to this year’s champion on Sunday, with Italian President Sergio Mattarella also expected to be in attendance at the final. After easily winning the first set on Friday, Sinner seemed tired as Medvedev intensified his play, moving him around the court with drop shots and groundstrokes aimed at the corners.
