Sinner Battles Physical Struggles to Lead Medvedev Before Rain Halts Match
Jannik Sinner appeared visibly exhausted during a change of ends in his Italian Open semi-final against Daniil Medvedev. Despite physical difficulties, including leaning on his racquet for support and receiving treatment on his thigh during a medical timeout in the third set, the 24-year-old Italian managed to take the lead in the deciding set before rain interrupted the match.
Sinner held a 6-2, 5-7, 4-2 advantage when the weather forced the suspension of play, with the match rescheduled to resume on Saturday.
Match Progress and Key Moments
Sinner started strongly, dominating the first set with an impressive 4-0 lead en route to a 6-2 set win. However, Medvedev maintained composure and capitalized on a decline in Sinner's energy and performance to establish a 3-0 lead in the second set.
Despite this, Sinner endured a prolonged fourth game to avoid falling 4-0 behind and, although showing clear signs of physical strain, managed to break back against Medvedev. The Russian continued to apply pressure, which ultimately paid off when he converted a break point on Sinner's serve to stay in the second set, marking the first set the world number one had lost in the tournament.
In the deciding set, Sinner, aiming to extend his ATP Masters 1000 win tally to 33, earned three break points in the third game and celebrated vocally after securing the second break point when Medvedev sent a backhand long. Play was halted due to rain with Sinner leading 4-2, and tournament officials confirmed the match would continue on Saturday.
Other Semi-Final Results
In the other semi-final, Casper Ruud delivered a dominant performance, defeating Italy's world number 20 Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1 to reach his first Italian Open final, despite the match also being interrupted by rain.
"It's my 10th semi-final I think in a Masters 1000 and it was his first so you try to use that experience to your advantage and I think I did that well today," said Norway's Ruud.
"He was maybe a little bit stressed, a little bit nervous of the occasion, but I tried to stay focused and kind of in my own tunnel vision."
Unstoppable Sinner breaks Djokovic record in Rome
- Live scores, results and order of play
- Get tennis news sent straight to your phone
