Two mouth-watering finals are in store at the Cincinnati Open on Monday as Jannik Sinner battles rival Carlos Alcaraz and Jasmine Paolini challenges a seemingly unstoppable Iga Świątek.
Wimbledon champion Sinner beat world number 136 and tournament surprise package Terence Atmane 7-6 6-2 to set up yet another showdown with French Open champion Alcaraz, who made light work of Alexander Zverev, winning 6-4 6-3 without much trouble.
Another Wimbledon champion in Świątek then saw off Elena Rybakina 7-5 6-3 in a hard-fought victory to qualify for a title bout with Paolini, the Italian having outlasted Veronika Kudermetova 6-3 6-7 6-3.
Jannik Sinner vs Carlos Alcaraz
After dispatching Atmane, Sinner expressed satisfaction with his overall performance and made a point of applauding the Frenchman’s brilliant run in Cincinnati that included wins over fourth-seed Taylor Fritz and seventh-seed Holger Rune.
“It was a very tough challenge,” the Italian admitted, according to Sky Sports.
“Every time you play against something completely new, it’s difficult, but playing against this guy [Atmane] in the later stages of a tournament is even more difficult.
“The pressure is higher and you know they deserve to be there. He has beaten incredible players throughout his wins.
“I knew that I had to be very careful, and my mindset was in a good spot. I felt like I handled the situations on the court very well.”
Alcaraz, meanwhile, was similarly happy at sealing a place in the final, but he made sure to send his best wishes to Zverev after their semi-final tussle, with the German having suffered with illness throughout.
“Happy for the final but feeling bad for Sasha,” Alcaraz wrote on the camera lens during his post-match celebrations.
“Wish you all the best.”
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Iga Świątek vs Jasmine Paolini
On the women’s side, Świątek was elated to qualify for the showpiece after such a tough outing against big-serving Rybakina.
Speaking on-court immediately after the game, the Pole said: “That was a tough match. At the beginning, the level was pretty crazy – we played so fast that sometimes we couldn’t even run to the second ball.
“But I was there to play with intensity and good quality and I am super happy with the performance.
“I served much better so for sure it helped and I wouldn’t change anything.”
Former Wimbledon finalist Paolini now awaits the world number three in Monday’s final.
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