World number one Jannik Sinner became the first Italian man to reach back-to-back finals in Rome in the Open Era by completing a hard-fought win over seventh seed Daniil Medvedev on Saturday.
Following a late-night suspension to his semifinal match on Friday due to the rain, top seed Jannik Sinner completed a dramatic win over world No. 9 Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 as play resumed on Saturday at the Foro Italico.
As a result, the Italian advanced to his 14th Masters 1000 final, moving within one match of claiming his first title at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, becoming the second man to achieve the title match at six Masters 1000 events in a row.
"It was a very different challenge and a tough challenge," he outlined. "Usually, during the night, I don't struggle to sleep, but this time it was not easy.
"You are in the third set, nearly done, but you still have to show up again, and you never know what is happening. It is like the start of the match, as there are nerves again. I am very happy with how I handled this situation and that I am back in the final."
Due to the inclement weather, their 18th meeting at the tour level would turn into a suspense thriller, played in two acts.
On Friday, the 24-year-old led his opponent 6-2, 5-7, 4-2 with Medvedev serving at Ad/40 when the rain forced the postponement of the third set until Saturday after two hours and 23 minutes of play.
When the players stepped back into Campo Centrale, the sun shone bright on Roman soil, and play resumed past 4 p.m. local time.
Back in action, the former Rome champion, who delivered high-level tennis throughout the tournament, notched the seventh set with an ace, narrowing the gap to 3-4.
However, Sinner, looking fresh despite the physical struggles he experienced the previous day, came out firing, forcing his adversary to save two break points and battle at deuce to keep his chances alive by holding 4-5.
It didn't take long before the home favorite served out the match in commanding fashion, wrapping up the set 6-4 in 15 minutes, extending his unprecedented record for the longest Masters 1000 winning streak in series history to 33.
All in all, he hit 39 winners to 30 unforced errors, converted four of 10 break points, and won 75 percent of the points on his first serve.
Chapter I
At 11 p.m. local time on Friday, the organizers decided to cancel play for the day, advising the contest would resume on Saturday, not before 3 p.m. in Rome, ahead of the women's final.
An edgy match quickly unfolded as the players dug deep in their quest to return to the championship match.
The 24-year-old set off to a perfect start, breaking twice en route to seal a solid display behind his serve, winning 92 percent of the points on his first delivery to close out the opener 6-2 in 33 minutes.
Without facing a break point all set, he hit 14 winners to just 5 from his opponent, against 5 to 9 unforced errors, respectively.
It seemed business as usual for the world No. 1, but in a turn of events, the unexpected happened, when drama made an entrance while Medvedev played his part with grit, touch, and resilience.
The four-time major champion began to show signs of obvious discomfort, struggling to move on the court and even breathe in the second set.
Meanwhile, as the second set wore on, the 30-year-old kicked up a level, finding his way back into the match to earn a 3-0 advantage.
The former US Open champion adjusted his shotmaking, adding variety to his game, seizing his chances against an adversary who appeared unwell.
Then, No. 1 Italian racquet fought back to narrow his deficit, coming through extended baseline exchanges while saving break points on his serve to hold his ground 1-3.
Coming from behind, he powered forward to tie the scoreline 3-3.
Chasing his goal, the Moscow-born put his foot down, playing with aggression while executing drop shots with exquisite precision, winning 7 of 11 net approaches.
Also, his superb all-court coverage and accuracy on the return added pressure on his rival, who double-faulted before navigating out of danger with an ace and held in the tenth game.
Unrelenting, the seventh seed opened a 6-5 lead, securing his spot in a potential tiebreak.
With no margin for error, a lengthy 12th game went Medvedev's way, breaking Sinner's serve in his third attempt to steal the second set 7-5, even the contest at one set apiece.
It was the first set the Italian player dropped in this year's event.
Facing adversity, visibly lacking energy, the 28-time ATP title holder found an extra gear to push his rival against the wall in the third game of the decider.
When Medvedev hit a backhand long, the player coached by Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill earned the break in the second time of asking, up 3-1.
There were moments of magic from both sides of the net as they built a high-caliber semifinal for the delight of the crowd.
With Sinner to serve at 3-2 up in the final set, he received treatment from the physio, who massaged his left thigh.
Shortly after play resumed, he extended his advantage to 4-2, and then the organizers decided to postpone the match.
On Sunday, the home hero will face Norwegian Casper Ruud, who earlier on Friday dispatched world No. 20 Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1 to reach his first Italian Open final in four attempts.
"It is my 10th semifinal at a 1000 and his first, so you try to use that experience to your advantage, and I think I did well today," expressed the world No. 25.
With the triumph, the 27-year-old completed the set of finals at the four big clay-court events (Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome, and twice at Roland-Garros).
Furthermore, en route to his 27th career final on Tour, the 2025 Madrid Open champion beat seeded players Jiri Lehecka, Lorenzo Musetti, and Karen Khachanov, missing just one set.
Sinner leads the 23rd seed 4-0 in their series; their most recent meeting took place last year in the Rome quarterfinals, with the former producing a straight-set win.
Should the reigning Wimbledon winner triumph in Sunday's grand finale, he will complete the Career Golden Masters, becoming only the second man to capture all nine Masters 1000 titles.
To this day, 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic stands as the only man to have achieved the feat.