Cincinnati (AFP) – World number one Jannik Sinner and hot rival Carlos Alcaraz will face off in a major final for the fourth time this season after both booked straight-set wins into the title match at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday. Defending champion Sinner ruthlessly subdued 136th-ranked qualifier Terence Atmane 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 while Spanish second seed Alcaraz defeated an ailing Alexander Zverev, who was suffering badly from the 32 Celsius heat and humidity, by 6-4, 6-3.
Alcaraz and Sinner have played for trophies this season in Rome, Roland Garros and Wimbledon, with the Italian winning their most recent at the All England Club last month. Sinner, celebrating his 24th birthday, ended Frenchman Atmane’s dream run and will now try to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2014-15 to win back-to-back titles in Cincinnati. Sinner, tuning up for the US Open in his first tournament since winning Wimbledon, hasn’t dropped a set en route to the final.
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“It’s a very, very tough challenge every time you play a new opponent,” Sinner said. “In the later stages of the tournament, the pressure is on; they deserve to be there.” Alcaraz will also be playing in his second Cincy final after losing to Novak Djokovic in 2023. The Spaniard increased his ATP season match win lead to 53 in a year of five titles.
Alcaraz broke Zverev once in the opening set to claim it before the German, who is diabetic, began feeling poorly and took a medical timeout off court after the third game of the second set. Zverev, who has retired in only two matches since 2014, came back out to finish what was a patchy match from Alcaraz, who double-faulted four times in the second game of the second set but won the last 12 points with Zverev running on fumes.
“We started well with good rallies, a good level,” Alcaraz said. “All of a sudden he felt bad, and I was thinking more about how he was feeling instead of playing good tennis. It was tough, and I just wish him all the best.” Alcaraz said he is keen to try and take his Wimbledon revenge on Sinner in the unorthodox Monday final. “We always bring our best tennis. We raise each other’s level. I’m ready to take the challenge,” Alcaraz said. “I will try and adjust my game better and correct what I did wrong in our last match. I want to be ready with my 100%. Mentally I’ll be ready — I’m excited for Monday.”
Atmane gave birthday boy Sinner a Pokemon card shortly before they went on court, but he was in a less giving mood once they were underway. Sinner surrendered just three points in his first six service games as they went to the tiebreaker with neither man facing a break point. Atmane double-faulted on the first point of the decider and Sinner was away, powering to a 5-2 lead and pocketing the set at his second opportunity.
“My experience helped in the first set,” he said. “I’m very happy to go through to another final. I tried to focus on myself, how I usually play, and then try to adapt a little bit to his game style,” Sinner said. “And that’s exactly what I did today. The pressure was on me. That’s normal in the position where I am in — he was ready to fight.”
“My goal has always been the US Open, but we have put in the work here, in the gym and in practice. I just hope to be ready for New York.” Sinner showed a first sign of vulnerability as he needed five game points to hold serve in the opening game of the second set. But that was the closest look Atmane got at his serve, and Sinner broke the Frenchman for a 3-1 lead and again to seal the match. Atmane, who is projected to crack the top 70 in the world rankings, became Sinner’s 22nd straight French victim since May 2021, when he lost to Arthur Rinderknech in Lyon.
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