Cincinnati, Sinner advances to the final: another clash with Alcaraz

"Thanks for the birthday wishes," he wrote into the camera after winning the semifinal against Terence Atmane. Jannik Sinner received many for his 24th birthday in Cincinnati, and there was no better way to celebrate than a victory over the tournament's revelation, the Frenchman who came through qualifying and is currently ranked 136th. In the final, on Monday at 9 p.m. Italian time, he faces Carlos Alcaraz for the fourth time this year, defeating Sascha Zverev.

Sinner closed out a 7-6, 6-2 victory in less than two hours, never conceding a break point, after a head-to-head first set in which Atmane, a left-handed player, unleashed the serves and forehands that had secured his victories in previous rounds (against Cobolli, Fonseca, and top-ten players like Fritz and Rune). His serve, in particular, is powerful and executed with a lightning-fast swing, making it difficult to read its direction: even a champion like Sinner struggled to get a grip in the first set. The world number one, however, served equally well and, at 6-all, cornered his opponent. He opened the tiebreak with a double fault, revealing his underlying tension for the first time in the match, before falling 7-4. At the start of the second set, Jannik suffered a physical decline, holding serve in the long first game with great difficulty—after five failed breaks—and with the support of his team. Coach Simone Vagnozzi advised him to focus his energy on his return in the first two points and pace it depending on the outcome of those two points, as well as shortening the rallies. No sooner said than done: 6-2, thanks to the increasingly frequent errors from his opponent, who was no longer able to contain Sinner's pressure. For the Frenchman, born in 2002, an unforgettable Masters 1000 remains, which lifts him to 69th in the rankings. For Sinner, who was honored by Atmane with a Pokémon card (he's been collecting them for years), the satisfaction of reaching the eighth final of a Mille and an excellent dress rehearsal for the US Open, which begins on August 24th.

But before Flushing Meadows (where Jannik was supposed to play the mixed doubles with Emma Navarro, who withdrew; let's see if and who will replace her), there's still a lot of Italian influence in this Cincinnati finale. In addition to Sinner, the defending champion here, Musetti and Sonego also reached the final in the men's doubles, defeating Britain's Joe Salisbury and Neil Skupski. Their final effort is against Ram and Mektic (Monday, midnight Italian time). And today at 9 p.m., all eyes will be on Jasmine Paolini, who plays the semi-final against Veronika Kudermetova.