Jannik Sinner triumphed over Novak Djokovic to reach his first-ever French Open final, where he will face defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner, ranked at the top, won against Djokovic with scores of 6-4, 7-5, and 7-6, paving the way for a final showdown with Alcaraz.
Although Djokovic holds the record for the most Grand Slam titles with 24 wins, he struggled against Sinner’s precise shots and powerful forehands during their match on Friday night.
With this win, Sinner became only the second Italian man to reach the final at Roland-Garros, following in the footsteps of Adriano Panatta, who won in 1976.
Earlier in the tournament, Alcaraz was ahead 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 against Lorenzo Musetti when Musetti had to retire due to a leg injury.
Sinner is looking for his fourth major title while Alcaraz aims for his fifth.
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Djokovic made a comeback attempt in the third set but faltered during the tiebreaker.
He missed an easy smash at the net that put him down 3-0 and lost on the second match point when his forehand hit the net.
“These are rare and special moments,” Sinner expressed. “I’m very happy.”
After winning both the US Open and Australian Open, he has now extended his winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments to 20 matches.
Djokovic was hoping to reach a record-extending 38th Grand Slam final and an eighth in Paris, where he has celebrated victory three times before.
In the ninth game of the third set, Sinner hit a two-handed backhand cross-court winner that was so well-timed it even earned applause from Djokovic.
Sinner hardly gave Djokovic any chances, but there was a moment of hope in the 10th game when Djokovic had four opportunities to break Sinner’s serve.
The crowd erupted into chants of “Nole! Nole!” as Djokovic created two break points at 15-40.
When some loud fans yelled out while Sinner was getting ready to serve, the crowd started shushing them, saying “Chut!” (which means shush in French).
Djokovic’s forehand went wide on his third chance to break, bringing the score to deuce.
Umpire Damien Dumusois came down to look at the mark on the court. Djokovic disagreed and walked over, insisting, “It’s on the line.”
Then Sinner approached the net for a quick chat with Djokovic.
Although Djokovic lost that point, he won the next one with an overhead smash, giving him another chance at a fourth set point, which Sinner saved once more.
