Roland Garros, all Italians in final before Jannik Sinner

Three Italian tennis players have made it to the men’s singles final of the French Internationals before Jannik Sinner: Giorgio De Stefani, Nicola Pietrangeli and Adriano Panatta.

In 1930, at the eighth international edition of the tournament and the fifth played in the new Parisian facility dedicated to World War I aviator Roland Garros, De Stefani was beaten 6-0 6-4 4-6 6-3 by Henri Cochet, one of the “Mousquetaires” who then dominated the Dacis Cup.

Pietrangeli played no less than four finals: in 1959, he beat Sidafrican Ian Vermaak 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1; in 1960 he got the better of Chilean Luis Ayala 3-6 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-3. Then, in 1961 and 1964, he was beaten both times by Spaniard Manolo Santana, the first by 4-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, the second by 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.

They were both beaten by Spain’s Manolo Santana.

Finally, in 1976, the only Italian to succeed in the Open Era before Sinner, exactly 49 years ago, Panatta reached the finals by beating, among others, Sweden’s Bjorn Borg in the quarterfinals, and in the deciding act he defeated the U.S. Harold Solomon 6-1 6-4 4-6 7-6.