Jannik Sinner becomes the youngest player in the Open Era to reach an ATP Tour since Felix Auger Aliassime in 2019 - UBITENNIS

Jannik Sinner becomes the youngest player in the Open Era to reach an ATP Tour since Felix Auger Aliassime in 2019

By sampaolo
5 Min Read

Jannik Sinner has reached his first ATP Tour final after his 6-3 7-5 win over Frenchman Adrian Mannarino at the Sofia Open after 1 hour and 28 minutes. With this win Sinner has improved his career best ranking to world number 41. 

Sinner has become the youngest player in the Open Era to reach an ATP Tour final since Felix Auger Aliassime finished runner-up at the 2019 Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart. He had lost his first two-level semifinals at indoor hard-court tournaments. Before today’s match against Mannarino Sinner rallied from a set down to beat Alex De Minaur in the quarter finals. 

Sinner created just one break point in each set and capitalised on forehand errors from Mannarino to clinch his 18th tour-level win. 

Sinner earned his first break point in the sixth game and broke serve at deuce to take a 4-2 lead after a forehand error from Mannarino. The Italian teenager won two consecutive points from 30-30 at 5-3 and sealed the first set 6-3 with an ace. 

Sinner fended off a total of three break points in the fourth and sixth games and won eight consecutive points from 5-5 with a break in the 11th game to close out the second set 7-5. 

Sinner will bid to become the youngest ATP Tour champion since Kei Nishikori won the Delray Beach Open in 2008. 

En route to the final Sinner dropped just one set and beat Marton Fucsovics, Swiss lucky loser Marc Andrea Huesler and Alex De Minaur. The Italian player will face either Richard Gasquet or Vasek Pospisil. 

He would become the youngest Italian player to win an ATP Tour title since Claudio Pistolesi, if he wins the final on Saturday. 

“Today I played my best match of the week, but I had to do that because he is a tough player. I was able to remain focused in the most important moments of the match. It’s nice to be in the final, playing one more match which is the most important. Today I felt quite well on court and it is good for me playing my first fina lthis year. I am looking forward to tomorrow. It’s to be in the final. It was difficult to return his serve. It was tough to play against Mannarino, especially because he is a left-hander. I have no preference between Gasquet and Pospisil. I am just happy to play this final in front of these fans. The people here are very nice. Last year I played very well in this period. I hope to repeat the recent good results tomorrow. Today I did not get carried away by emotions from the start of the match. I was solid on return. I played the final part of the set better”. 

Sinner set up a final against Canada’s Vasek Pospisil, who came back from one set down to beat Richard Gasquet 6-7 (6-8) 6-2 6-0 to advance to his second ATP Tour final in 2020. Pospisil, who reached the final in Montpellier earlier this year, hit 19 aces and converted five of his seven break points. 

Pospisil got the first mini-break to take a 2-0 lead in the tie-break. Gasquet broke back on the fifth game for 2-3, but Pospisil earned another mini-break to take a 4-2 lead. Gasquet reeled off five of the next six points from 3-5 down to win the tie-break 8-6.Pospisil came back from 6-7 (6-8) 1-2 down by winning eleven consecutive games. Gasquet saved the only break point of the first set in the sixth game. The Canadian player broke twice in the second set and three times in the third set. 

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