By Julien Pretot
PARIS (Reuters) -World number one Jannik Sinner defeated record-chasing Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 7-6(3) in a clash of generations on Friday to set up a blockbuster French Open final showdown with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Playing a younger, modern version of himself, the 38-year-old Djokovic looked every bit his age for a while on Court Philippe Chatrier as Sinner used his blistering forehand to send the Serbian chasing the ball left, right and centre.
But the former world number one, chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, showed he thrived on the grandest stage and threatened a comeback only to miss three set points in the third.
The Italian, who recently came back from a doping ban, stood firm in the tiebreak and wrapped up the contest on his second match point to reach his maiden Roland Garros final.
Calling Djokovic the greatest player of all time, Sinner said: “It was such a special occasion for me playing Novak in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam and I had to step up and play the best tennis I could.
“He’s such a role model for us young players. I tried to not think about this but before going on court you feel the tension and what’s coming against you.”
Sinner will face a sterner test in Sunday’s final against Alcaraz, who advanced when his semi-final opponent Lorenzo Musetti retired injured at the beginning of the fourth set.
With Aryna Sabalenka playing Coco Gauff in the women’s final on Saturday, it will be the first time that the top two ranked players will face off in both singles finals at Roland Garros since 1984.
There were flashes of the vintage Djokovic in the evening match as the Serbian came out on top on some lung-busting rallies.
27-MATCH WINNING STREAK
But a stone-faced Sinner was just too good, frolicking on court while Djokovic huffed, puffed and grunted in his pursuit of another major title, one that would finally lift him ahead of Margaret Court on top of the all-time Grand Slam leaderboard.
Djokovic entered the contest riding on a 27-match winning streak in Paris, having claimed the 2023 French Open, the 2023 Paris Masters, the 2024 Paris Olympics gold and a Roland Garros run last year that was abandoned after he suffered a knee injury during his fourth round win.
Sinner, however, was unimpressed — brimming with confidence after capturing the last two majors at the 2024 U.S. Open and this year’s Australian Open, and determined to reach his first French Open final.
Djokovic tried to mix things up with drop shots in an attempt to shorten the rallies, but Sinner was relentless.
Despite a modest first-serve percentage, the 23-year-old Italian dropped only three points on serve in the opening set, leaving Djokovic with a mountain to climb.
The Serbian came out fighting in the second set, winning a spectacular rally that ended with a pinball exchange at the net. But after a draining 26-shot rally, Djokovic was left gasping for air, hands on knees, as Sinner held for 1-1.
Djokovic threw everything he had into that second set, but cracked when Sinner broke for 4-3 on his second opportunity. The Serbian, though, mustered a fightback, carving out his first two break points against Sinner since 2023 and levelling for 4-4 to the delight of a raucous Chatrier crowd.
Sinner, unshaken, broke again for 6-5 and coolly served out the set to take a commanding two-sets-to-love lead.
In the third, Sinner threw Djokovic a lifeline as errors crept up in his game and the former world number had three set points on the Italian’s serve, which he coolly saved.
Djokovic looked deflated in the tiebreak and touched the clay before crossing himself on his way out of the arena.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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