By Karolos Grohmann
PARIS (Reuters) -The French Open men’s singles tournament will culminate with a blockbuster clash in Paris on Sunday.
World number one Jannik Sinner faces defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the most eagerly anticipated men’s singles final since the start of the Rafa Nadal era 20 years ago at Roland Garros where the results were largely a foregone conclusion.
RUTHLESS SINNER SEEKS MAIDEN ROLAND GARROS TITLE
Italian top seed Sinner has been impressive since his return from a doping ban last month, charging into Sunday’s final without dropping a single set in his six matches in Paris.
The 23-year-old outclassed 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in their semi-final to confirm his superb form on clay after also reaching the final in Rome in May in his first tournament back from his ban. He was beaten there by Alcaraz in straight sets.
Any doubts that Sinner was lacking match practice were quickly dispelled by the ruthless efficiency with which he has dispatched all his opponents in Paris to set up a mouth-watering final against arguably the most gifted claycourt player since 14-time French Open champion Nadal.
Sinner had never before reached the final in Paris but he will be looking to add the Roland Garros title to his rapidly growing list of majors, which already includes two Australian Open crowns and last year’s U.S. Open.
He is on a 20-match winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments after lifting the trophy in New York last year and then clinching the title in Melbourne at the start of this year.
“It doesn’t get any bigger now,” Sinner said of his burgeoning rivalry with the 22-year-old Alcaraz, who has seven wins and two defeats against the Italian in their head-to-head.
ALCARAZ PEAKING AT RIGHT TIME IN TITLE QUEST
Alcaraz, who is attempting to become only the third man to retain his Roland Garros title this century after Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten, has won the last four encounters with Sinner.
“Grand Slam finals against Carlos, it’s a special moment for me and for him, too. He won here last year, so let’s see what’s coming,” Sinner said.
“But for sure, the tension you feel before the match and during the match is a little bit different because we are both very young, we are both different, but talented. So let’s see.”
Alcaraz’s progression to the final has not been equally smooth, with the Spaniard dropping a set in four of his six matches, including in his semi-final against Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who retired injured at the start of the fourth set.
But his occasional lapses of concentration during his matches in Paris barely mask his lethal force on the surface.
He won the claycourt tournaments in Monte Carlo and Rome while also reaching the final in Barcelona in a near-perfect preparation to Paris.
“If I want to play against Jannik, he’s the best tennis player right now. I mean, he’s destroying every opponent through (to) the semi-final,” Alcaraz said.
ORDER OF PLAY ON SUNDAY (prefix number denotes seeding)
COURT PHILIPPE CHATRIER (not before 1300 GMT)
1- Jannik Sinner (Italy) v 2-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann; editing by Clare Fallon)
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