Jannik Sinner stepped up his bid for a second Grand Slam title by securing a a 6-2 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory over Grigor Dimitrov to reach the French Open semi-finals.
Although he didn’t know it at the time, the 22-year-old will also become the new world No 1 next week, regardless of who wins the French Open, after defending champion Novak Djokovic pulled out with a knee injury before his quarter-final match.
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Sinner quickly earned a double break over 10th seed Dimitrov, hardly breaking sweat when taking the opening set.
Things started to become a bit trickier thereafter, the Italian struggling with a back twinge during the second set that hampered his progress.
Despite the issue, Sinner still claimed the second 6-4 and edged out Dimitrov in a third-set tie-break despite blowing the chance to clinch victory sooner when broken by the Bulgarian as he served for the match.
Sinner said after his win: “First Italian ever to be world No 1? First of all, it’s everyone’s dream.
“I wish Novak a speedy recovery. I’m happy to be in the semi-finals. I’m going to enjoy it and play the best tennis that I can.
“It’s a special moment but it’s great for me to share it with the fans. Let’s see on Friday what I can do.”
A trickier test could await the Australian Open champion next, as he faces a potential clash against two-time Grand Slam winner Carlos Alcaraz, who meets Stefanos Tsitsipas in Tuesday’s evening session at Roland Garros.
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