Izuchukwu OkosiWorld number 1 ranked men’s tennis player, Jannick Sinner, on Friday evening overcame 24-time Grand Slam winner, Novak Djokovic with a 6-4,7-5,7-6(3) triumph in one of the semifinals games to reach the final on Sunday, reports Prime Business Africa.
Sinner will take on defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz who beat Lorenzo Musetti in the other semifinals game at the Court Phillipe-Charter.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelSinner became only the second Italian ATP men’s tennis player to reach the final at Roland Garros after Adriano Panatta to achieve it in 1976.
The current Italian king, Sinner, is now hoping to win a fourth major title in a Grand Slam.
Alcaraz, who will be hard pressed to defend his title on Sunday against Sinner advanced to the final when Lorenzo Musetti retired with a leg injury.
In the game under review, Djokovic fought back in the third set Friday night but was broken in the tiebreaker as he missed an easy smash at the net to go down 3-0.
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Alcaraz would then lose on the second match point when hid forehand innocuously hit the net.
Sinner spike lost match and expressed his elation at yet another chance for tennis glory.
“These are rare and special moments. I’m very happy,” the Italian said.
Friday’s win means that Sinner has extended hid winning streak to 20 matches, after lifting the US Open and Australian Open trophies.
Djokovic’s target heading into the semifinals was a 38th appearance Grand Slam final appearance and eighth in Paris.
The crowd broke out into prolonged chants of “Nole, Nole!” when the Serbian forced two break points at 15-40.
Meanwhile French Open defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the French Open final on Friday after Lorenzo Musetti retired from their semifinal in the fourth set.
The crowd favourite Alcaraz was leading 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 tonight when the eighth-seeded Italian stopped playing on Court Philippe-Chatrier due to the injury.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
