ATP Finals 2023: Jannik Sinner reaches biggest final of his career with third straight win over Daniil Medvedev
Jannik Sinner reached the biggest final of his budding career on Saturday, taking down former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin.
Sinner drew first blood on the night, breaking the Russian's second service game after a nervy hold in his own to open up a 3-1 lead. The Italian consolidated the break with little to no fight from Medvedev and took the opening set 6-3. The World No. 4 converted the lone break point he got in the set, while his opponent let slip the one opportunity he had.
The second set, on the other hand, was far more evenly contested, with the duo both holding serve until 6-6 and taking it to the tiebreaker. Along the way, Medvedev did not face a single break point on his serve, while Sinner managed to hold off the one break point he faced.
The tiebreak witnessed the pair exchanging mini breaks until Daniil Medvedev racked up a 4-3 lead and then scored the next two points with unreturnable serves to lead 6-3. With three set points in his hand, the 2021 US Open champion converted his second to take the set 7-6(4) to silence the home fans in Turin for a bit.
With all to play for in the decider, it was Jannik Sinner who held his nerves, as the Russian served a double fault facing break point in his opening service game to open up a 2-0 lead for the 22-year-old. Sinner went on to break his opponent's serve one more time for good measure, taking a 5-1 lead and then converting his first match point to seal the set 6-1.
Jannik Sinner to take on either Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic in ATP Finals final
In the final of the 2023 ATP Finals, Jannik Sinner will take on either Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic, who are scheduled to face each other in the second semifinal later on Saturday.
The Italian beat Djokovic in the group stage earlier this week, scoring his first win over the 24-time Grand Slam champion in a marathon three-setter. His head-to-head against the Serb is currently 3-1 in favor of the veteran.
Against Alcaraz, meanwhile, he has a 4-3 lead, having won their last two meetings on the trot. The duo have met thrice this year, with the Spaniard taking their first encounter at Indian Wells and the Italian triumphing at Miami and Beijing.