Sinner looks towards his first semi-finals in Paris | ATP Tour

Roland Garros

Sinner looks towards his first semi-finals in Paris

The Italian will face Alcaraz or Tsitsipas in the semifinals

June 04, 2024

Jannik Sinner is ready to write history in this edition of Roland Garros, where he already has the Musketeers Cup just two steps away. At 22 years old, the Italian climbed this Tuesday to his first Roland Garros semi-final, reaching 50 Grand Slam victories in a career that is advancing at breakneck speed. With the view of Paris as a backdrop, he approaches a goal of enormous grandeur: making the second his own major of the year.

The second seed dominated Grigor Dimitrov soberly, defeating the Bulgarian 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(3) in a complete match from start to finish. Against one of the most versatile players in the locker room, capable of opening an infinite range of blows, Sinner imposed sensational anticipation to make his way on the Parisian clay court. His reflexes at the back of the court were the best antidote to a dizzying match with every shot.

“I’m very happy. We had played a few times and I knew what to expect,” Sinner said. “We faced each other in the final in Miami and it’s always tough to play against him. He has great talent and is a fantastic guy. My performance has been very solid, especially in the first two sets. I felt some pressure serving to win the match “But it’s normal. This is tennis. I’m happy with how I reacted and being in the semifinals.”

Jannik has left behind the hip problems that hindered his clay court tour, being forced to withdraw from the Mutua Madrid Open and not compete in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, nipping in the bud his shots in the two great clay giants prior to Roland Garros. The Italian, who has a record of 33-2 this year, has reached the semifinals in Paris, losing only one round in the entire tournament.

The victory allowed Sinner to extend his dominance in the Lexus ATP Head2Head to 4-1. The Italian achieved his fourth consecutive victory against the Bulgarian, whom he had already beaten this season in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami. Dimitrov had won the only duel on clay between the two in Rome 2020, the clash that opened his history on the circuit.

Although the goal seems close, Sinner will have to immerse himself in extreme effort to secure it. The Italian will compete in the Roland Garros semifinals against Carlos Alcaraz or Stefanos Tsitsipas, the only two players who have managed to defeat him in the 2024 season. Spanish and Greek, great candidates for glory in the second Grand Slam of the year, will illuminate the night of this Tuesday in Paris.

Sinner is guaranteed a promotion to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings next Monday after Novak Djokovic withdrew from Roland Garros ahead of his quarterfinal matchup with Casper Ruud due to a knee injury. Djokovic had to reach the final to have the chance to remain No. 1. The Italian will be the 29th player capable of reaching the top and the first from his country.

“What can I say? First of all, getting to No. 1 is every player’s dream,” Sinner said. “On the other hand, seeing Novak retire is disappointing. I wish him a speedy recovery.”

For his part, Dimitrov leaves Roland Garros having had the best participation of his career in the major of clay. At 33 years old, the Bulgarian has established himself as one of the most stable players of the season, provisionally appearing as No. 9 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin before going to the grass tour.

Did you know…?
Jannik Sinner aims to become the first new Roland Garros champion in the last decade. On the clay of Paris, the Italian can follow in the footsteps of the Swiss Stan Wawrinka, who won the Musketeers Cup in the 2014 edition. In the last 20 years, only five men have managed to take the individual throne in the French capital .