When Jannik Sinner plays in Rome: background with Daniil Medvedev

Jannik Sinner will return to the court on Friday for the semifinals of the Internazionali d’Italia 2026, on a day that will see Italian tennis play a big part at the Foro Italico. The world number one will play in the evening session on the Central, scheduled to start no earlier than 7 p.m., against Daniil Medvedev.

For Jannik Sinner it will be another challenge of the highest level against one of the most faced opponents of his career. The balance of precedents smiles on the Italian, ahead 9-7 in direct confrontations with the former world number one. After initial difficulties in his clashes with the Russian, Sinner has shifted gears in recent seasons, winning several important confrontations and consolidating a rivalry now central to the ATP circuit.

The match will be televised live on Sky Sport and Sky Sport Tennis channels, with streaming available on Now TV, as will all the Rome Masters 1000. The goal remains to win the final, perhaps for a historic Italian derby.

In the other semifinal, in fact, there will also be Luciano Darderi, the big surprise of the tournament. The Azure will face Casper Ruud not before 3:30 p.m., after a women’s doubles. For Ruud, it will be the fourth career semifinal in Rome, but without ever having managed to reach the final act.

Darderi comes to the appointment after the comeback against Zverev and the long battle won against Jodar, which ended in the Roman night. The one between the Italian and the Norwegian will be the first direct confrontation. A possible all-Italian final would represent a historic and unprecedented achievement for Italian tennis at the Internazionali d’Italia.