Jannik Sinner overtook Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets on Tuesday to reach his first French Open semi-final, where he could face rival Carlos Alcaraz, on the day he secured the number one ranking in the world. The Australian Open champion, who will rise to the top of the rankings next week following Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from the tournament, won easily 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) and will face either Alcaraz or Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last four. Sinner’s achievement of becoming Italy’s first number one in the sport was confirmed during his match, when Djokovic’s forced withdrawal due to injury was announced.
“What can I say?” said the 22-year-old.
“It’s every player’s dream to become number one in the world. On the other hand, seeing Novak retire (from the tournament) is disappointing, so I wish him a speedy recovery.”
Sinner already knew that he could win the first place by reaching the final at Roland Garros.
He had a great season, also winning the Rotterdam and Miami Opens, as well as his first Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
“I’m trying not to think about it too much as this has been a tournament I’ve struggled with in recent years, so I’m really happy to be in the semi-finals,” Sinner added.
“It’s a special moment for me… for the people watching in Italy. Let’s see on Friday what I can do.”
Sinner’s rise to the top of the ATP rankings continues a golden era for Italian men’s tennis.
Italy currently has nine players in the world’s top 100, building on the successes of Sinner and Matteo Berrettini, who was the first Italian to reach a Grand Slam final since 1976, when he lost the Wimbledon final to Djokovic three years ago .
“I think it’s great for Italy. We are a great country, with great coaches and players, and we can see now what this moment is like,” Sinner said. “I’m happy to be part of this Italian movement.”
His win-loss record this year is now an impressive 33-2, with his only two defeats this season coming against Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semi-finals and Tsitsipas in the last four in Monte Carlo.
If Sinner is to reach a second consecutive major tournament final, he will have to overcome Alcaraz, against whom he shares a 4-4 head-to-head record, or Tsitsipas, against whom he has lost six times in nine games.
Alcaraz faces former Roland Garros runner-up Tsitsipas in Tuesday’s evening session.
Bulgarian 10th seed Dimitrov was playing in the quarter-finals for the first time in his 14th French Open appearance, and was largely defeated despite a brief late comeback.
Sinner made the opening set easy, breaking twice and losing just four points behind her serve.
He broke again in the first game of the second set and held on comfortably from then on to move closer to the semi-finals.
It was a similar story for much of the third, with Sinner creating a chance to serve for the match when leading 5-4, but Dimitrov finally put him under pressure to level the set.
The second seed rallied, however, to force a tiebreaker, which he dominated to add another career first on an already remarkable day for him and Italian tennis.
“My performance was solid, a little bit of tension when serving for the match, which is normal, but I’m really happy to be in the semi-finals,” he said.
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