Carlos Alcaraz will renew his rivalry with Jannik Sinner in the Italian Open final on Sunday.
World No. 1 sinful will perform in front of his fans at home against the last man to beat him. The Italian has reached the final of his first tournament since he returned from a three-month detention after an anti-doping violation.
To set the block of the block with Alcaraz, the sinner recovered to defeat Tommy Paul 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 in their semifinals, while Alcaraz progressed to his first final in Rome by defeating another local Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (4).
“I think everyone saw the match against Caspar was almost perfect. I was admiring that game, so let’s look (in the finals),” Alcaraz said Heavenly.
“He is playing excellent tennis for the first time after this three months. It looks like he did not stop playing. It is’ Sincerely, honestly. I admire him as he is playing here in front of his people.”
Sunday’s final will mark the first meeting between Sinner and Alcaraz since October, when Alcaraz won the China Open final in a set third Tiebreaker. Alcaraz holds a 6-4 advantage in their career meetings and has won three directly against his biggest rival.
But the sinner has not lost since that loss to Alcaraz in Beijing and is in a 26 -game winning belt. He has been playing his first tour since winning his third title Grand Slam in Australian Open in January.
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Carlos Alcaraz’s highlights against Lorenzo Musetti from The Italian Open semifinal
“I have to raise my level. That’s for sure,” said Sinner Heavenly.
“Carlos played some tennis lights also today, it was very brave, very windy, so it was difficult. I’m happy to be here. It is a special occasion for me here in Rome, playing the final after three months, so it’s amazing.”
Sinner is aiming to become the first Italian man to set up the Rome trophy since Adriano Panatta in 1976. This tournament is also the latest warm event before starting French Open on May 25th.
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Main points of the ATP match between Jack Draper and Carlos Alcaraz in Rome
“I find myself in a final, which to me is important. To face Carlos in front of a Grand Slam too, trying to figure out what to do better in the middle of this week where I can work on things and stuff, so I’m happy,” Sinner said.
“I will enjoy it. I will give 100 percent of what I have and let’s see what I can do.”
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