Top seed Jannik Sinner secured a statement victory over world No. 25 Arthur Fils to advance to his first championship match at the Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday at Caja Magica.
On a level of his own, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner outlasted 21st seed Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 26 minutes on Manolo Santana Stadium.
In his on-court interview, the Mutua Madrid Open finalist outlined: āI tried to be very aggressive. I felt very comfortable on the return.
"In the second set, he started to serve better, so it was more difficult. But Iām very happy about the general performance today. Iām trying to play the best possible tennis, but today was a very good day in the office.ā
With the win, he reached the fifth straight Masters 1000 final, completing the set of all nine finals at this level to extend his winning streak to 27 matches since lifting the trophy in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami, and most recently in Monte-Carlo.
The Italian came out firing to neutralize his opponent, adding heavy pressure on the Frenchman, who conceded the third set.
Then, Sinner backed it up with a hold to establish a 4-1 lead, playing with aggression from the baseline and charging forward when needed, placing his shots with precision.
The 24-year-old stayed dominant on the return as well, further controlling the narrative with his ferocious ball-striking on the forehand wing.
As a result, the No. 1 Italian racquet converted a double break in the fifth game, extending his advantage 4-1.
From there, he went on to pocket the first set 6-2 in 39 minutes in commanding fashion.
In the early stages of the second set, Fils, 21, found his rhythm, kicking up level, missing just two points on his first two service games before pushing his adversary across a 20-shot rally in the fourth game.
The Barcelona champion held his nerve after hitting a double fault, fending off two break points in a lengthy fifth game to hold his ground.
Firing aces from both sides of the net, a tight battle went on serve until Sinner, delivering his best tennis when it mattered most, converted a clinical break in the ninth game, taking a nail-biting 24-shot rally.
The San Candido native would then serve for the match, notching the win on his first match point to record the 350th triumph of his career off the back of an imperious performance.
All in all, he did not face a break point throughout, firing 17 winners (4 aces) to 19 unforced errors, winning 88 percent of the points on his first serve.
Next, he awaits the winner of the semifinal encounter between two-time Madrid champion Alexander Zverev and Belgian player Alexander Blockx.