Italy’s Jannik Sinner says he hopes his previous experiences of playing in the final of Masters 1000 events will guide him to the biggest title of his career at the Canadian Open on Sunday.
The world No.8 secured his place in the title match after beating Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-4, in the semi-finals. Paul was the player who knocked top seed Carlos Alcaraz out of the tournament earlier this week. Sinner broke the American five times in their match and hit 14 winners past him.
“Immediately when I came here (to Toronto), I loved the conditions,” he said afterwards.
“It is a little bit different than in Montreal but I feel like it really suits my game very good. The night sessions are a little bit different. Especially when you serve and when you smash. But it’s always a privilege to play in the evening.’
“I think me and Tommy, we showed a great level of tennis, which was the most important (thing) for the crowd.”
Sinner’s latest victory is his 40th of the season which makes him the first Italian man in the Open Era to have won 40 or more Tour-level matches three years in a row. He is also the first from his country to have reached multiple Masters 1000 finals within the same year. He was runner-up at the Miami Open in March to Daniil Medvedev.
Awaiting the 21-year-old in the final will be Australia’s Alex de Minaur who he paired up with to play in the doubles draw. The duo lost their first round match to Jean-Julien Rojer and Marcelo Arevalo.
“We know each other quite well and have practiced in Monaco sometimes,” said Sinner.
“We have already faced each other a couple of times. We know exactly what to expect.’
“It’s nice that we can share the court for an important trophy. It’s going to be a tough challenge, for sure, but I love to take these challenges.”
De Minaur booked his place in the final with a one-sided 6-1, 6-3, win over Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Sinner currently leads the Australian 4-0 in their head-to-head with all of their previous meetings taking place on a hardcourt.
On paper Sinner appears to be the favourite. He has also played two fewer matches than de Minaur en route to the final after receiving a bye in the first round followed by a walkover in the third round after Andy Murray pulled out with an injury.
“I don’t think we will struggle so much physically. Going into the court, it’s going to be a physical match for sure, but let’s see. But I don’t think there is an advantage or a disadvantage.” He replied when asked if playing fewer matches than de Minaur would help him in the final.
Sinner aims to become the first Italian man in the Open Era to win the Canadian Open.
