AGENCIES

World number one Jannik Sinner produced a sublime semifinal display as he fought back from a set down to beat American Tommy Paul 1-6 6-0 6-3 on Friday to set up today’s Italian Open final showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner ended a 47-year wait for an Italian to reach the men’s singles final in Rome after Adriano Panatta lost the title match to Bjorn Borg in 1978.

Serving first, 11th seed Paul stunned the crowd and went up 5-0 in the first set against Sinner, who approached the clash on a career-best 25-match winning streak. The last time Sinner lost a set 6-1 was in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open against Daniil Medvedev, a match he won on his way to his second Grand Slam triumph.

But the Italian top seed, making his comeback this week after serving a three-month doping ban, kept his cool and orchestrated a stunning comeback in the second. He delivered a bagel, giving his rival no chance when forcing a decider.

Sinner, who is playing in his first tournament since capturing Australian Open title, was up 3-0 in the final set before marching on to reach his seventh ATP Masters 1000 final.

The 23-year-old will face world number three Alcaraz today, the last player who beat him when the pair met in the China Open final in October before Sinner embarked on his now 26-match winning run, with all eyes on another potential final between arguably the two best players of the modern era at the French Open next month.

“If I want to win Sunday, I have to play some of my best tennis,” Sinner added. “Carlos played some incredible tennis today. Let’s see what’s coming.”

Alcaraz reached the Rome final for the first time after a thrilling 6-3 7-6(4) win over local hope Lorenzo Musetti earlier on Friday.

“It wasn’t about playing brilliant, spectacular tennis. It was about playing smart tennis, playing solid, going to the point when you can, and waiting for the chance to play aggressively. I think I did that pretty well,” said Alcaraz.