Jannik Sinner also in final in Madrid, Arthur Fils knocked out in two sets

Jannik Sinner won the Madrid Masters 1000 final for the first time in his career and signed another record: he is the youngest tennis player to reach the final act in all nine Masters 1000s currently on the calendar. In the semifinals, the world No. 1 overcame France’s Arthur Fils with a clear 6-2 6-4 in one hour and 26 minutes, at the end of a test of great solidity and authority. Now all that remains is to know the name of the opponent who will challenge him on Sunday for the title: it will be one between Belgium’s Alexander Blockx and Germany’s Alexander Zverev, in a final that promises to catalyze the attention of the whole of Italian tennis and beyond.

Sinner immediately takes control of the match, putting Fils in trouble from the very first games thanks to his depth in response and the constant pressure on the Frenchman’s forehand diagonal. After a balanced start, the break comes right on time at 1-1: Fils gives up serve amid errors and uncertainties, while Jannik immediately ups the tempo and takes the lead. Three devastating forehands opened wide to the Italian 4-1, prelude to a first set dominated and closed 6-2, with the Frenchman also held back by a very low return with his first serve.

In the second partial, Fils tried to stay hooked on the match, but Sinner continued to convey a feeling of almost absolute control. The Frenchman manages to cancel two break points at 2-2, but it is not enough to reverse the inertia. Jannik concedes very little on his own serves and, at the decisive moment, he places the stretch: on 4-4 he takes the break with a prolonged exchange closed by a very violent backhand longline, a shot that makes it 5-4 and lights up the fierce gaze of the number 1. Shortly after, he closes the match and takes a historic final.

Since 1990, only one player had managed to reach this milestone in fewer matches: Rafael Nadal.