(Toronto) The highest-ranked player still alive in Toronto was hot, but he held on. Jannik Sinner fought his way to the final by beating Tommy Paul in two identical sets 6-4 on Saturday. Now all he has to do is win. But this refrain, he already knows it.
Sinner, eighth in the world, has won seven titles on the ATP Tour. He also took part in three finals. Two of them in the Masters 1000 tournament, in Miami, this year and two years ago.
The 21-year-old has never won a title of this magnitude before. This Sunday afternoon, against Alex de Minaur, a player he has already defeated four times, he will try to put an end to his scarcity and, above all, to close the door to those who want to throw at him: “Never two without three ! »
Sinner worked hard. Recognized as one of the best long-range players in the world, the Italian also has one of the most outspoken strikes on the circuit. When his racquet touches the ball, it looks like a microphone is installed near him to amplify the sound of the ferocity of the contact.
This 1h 56m match was a real trench warfare, but with opponents separated by a 23.77m long field.
The idea was not to know who was going to pull off a stroke of genius first, but who was going to stumble first.
In this regard, Sinner yielded more often, with 14 unforced errors, but he did so few times in the same game. Ultimately, his consistency was decisive.
The game plan was quite simple for both attackers. During the game, there were only five volleys and four drop shots. On that, eight strokes belong to Sinner.
Paul may have gotten drunk on the confidence gained from beating Carlos Alcaraz the day before. Sinner can hardly be beaten when the opponent insists on staying behind their baseline. The American didn’t try anything, and that’s why he won’t play this Sunday.
For his part, Sinner was not without reproach. His first serve, in particular, was lacking. And this, from the first game of the match, when he was broken. The eighth player in the world finished the game with just 46% of first serves in play. He also won just 42% of his points on second serve. Too little for a player of his caliber.
“I wasn’t serving very well, especially on the first serve. I was trying to stay in the moment to play the right way. I was trying to forget. I felt the pressure, but I think [Tommy Paul] did too,” Sinner agreed.
However, when his serve passed, Sinner was intractable. He took control of the rally quickly, enough to win 78% of his points on the first serve.
However, he showed his flaws. Broken three times at opportune moments, the Italian sometimes had to bow to the tireless American, also in search of a first important title. With his 19 winning strokes, Paul was not downgraded by the young Italian prodigy.
Their match was so close that an exchange alone can sum up its allure.
Broken in the seventh game of the second set, when Sinner was up 4-2, the two players traded 46 shots. A spectacular sequence during which each of the players executed 23 shots behind their baseline. The point ended with an overly long lob from Paul, at arm’s length.
“Tired,” Sinner replied when asked how he felt at the end of the point.
“It was easy to stay focused because it was a break point, so that was an important point. It was difficult, you felt it. Both of us were hitting pretty hard and trying to move the ball. It was exhausting. I felt my legs heavier with each stroke. But the adrenaline and the importance of the point help to stay focused. »
Sinner will therefore try to finally get his hands on a first important title. He lost to Daniil Medvedev last March and to Hubert Hurkacz in 2021.
On Sunday, he will face his doubles partner in the tournament, Alex de Minaur, whom he has beaten four times, including three times on hard court.
“It will be another great challenge for me, but above all a new chance. I am happy to be in this position. I worked hard to play this game,” he explained.
If he wins the title, Sinner will climb to sixth in the standings, which would be a career high for him.