Local hero Jannik Sinner surprisingly reached the final at the ATP Finals in Turin. The fans’ favorite defeated the Russian Daniil Medvedev 6:3, 6:7 (4:7), 6:1 on Saturday (11/18/23) and became the first Italian to reach the final of the highlight tournament of the eight best professionals year.
Inspired by the spectators, Sinner, fourth in the world rankings, who defeated Novak Djokovic, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune in the group phase, did not allow himself to be disturbed by the unfortunate loss of the second set. After 2:29 hours, the 22-year-old converted his first match point.
“I felt very good on this pitch in the week before the tournament. It’s very fast, and of course the crowd gives me a lot of energy. I enjoy playing in front of my own fans here in Italy,” Sinner said: “It’s a privilege to have that pressure.”
Final against Djokovic or Alcaraz
The opponent on Sunday is again the world number one Djokovic or Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz from Spain. The two will play against each other on Saturday at 9 p.m. (live ticker at sportschau.de). Olympic champion Alexander Zverev missed out on a place in the semi-finals despite a 2-1 win.
Sinner has already made history: The South Tyrolean became the first Italian player to celebrate 61 victories in one season in the era of professional tennis since 1968. And he still has a chance of a record win of more than $4.8 million if he storms to the title in Turin.