Jannik Sinner sees off defiant Djokovic to set up dream final against Alcaraz

Regardless of the tricky surface beneath his feet, the disruptive swirling wind inside Court Philippe-Chatrier or the intimidating résumé of the adversary before him, Jannik Sinner keeps on going. The world No 1 continued to demonstrate his superiority over all challengers at Roland Garros as he closed out a supremely clutch performance against Novak Djokovic, the sixth seed, with a 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (3) win to reach the final of the French Open for the first time in his career.

Over the past 10 months, Sinner has established a period of total dominance at grand slam tournaments. He has now won 20 straight matches at major tournaments and on Sunday he will attempt to win his third straight major title.

Sinner is the fifth man this century to reach three consecutive grand slam finals, following in the path of the four legendary players before him: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and Andy Murray. He has still not dropped a set in Paris this year.

A long-awaited first major final between the two leading players of the new generation awaits. Sinner, the No 1, will next face the second seed Carlos Alcaraz, who defeated Lorenzo Musetti 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0, 2-0 ret., in what will the first major final between two players born in the 2000s. Sinner has been untouchable on hard courts at the biggest events over the past 18 months, but he now will attempt to win his first significant title on clay, against an opponent who beat him on the surface in the final in Rome only three weeks ago. That was the fourth time in a row Alcaraz had prevailed against Sinner.

Two days after producing a magnificent performance to scupper Alexander Zverev, the third seed, and advance to his second consecutive major semi-final, Djokovic returned to Court Philippe-Chatrier ­attempting to become the oldest Roland ­Garros finalist in history. Although the 38-year-old has continued to register wins over many of the best players in the world, Sinner has proven a step too far.

Novak Djokovic screams in frustration during his battling performance at Roland Garros. Photograph: Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images

Since losing to the him after holding three match points on the Italian’s serve in their Davis Cup semi-final in 2023, Djokovic, one of the greatest returners of all time, had not generated a single break point against ­Sinner in their two subsequent meetings.

From the start, Sinner set the bar high by imposing relentless pressure on Djokovic with his suffocating pace and weight of shot, narrowing the court with his defence and offering up few errors. Under immediate pressure to match Sinner’s level, Djokovic struggled to find his range. He quickly found himself down 4-2 and a break point against the best player in the world. Although he kept the deficit to one break, Sinner eased through the set.

As Djokovic tried to find a way back, he left his heart on Chatrier. Djokovic threw himself into every shot and his effort did not waver until the end. He called on the crowd to contribute at every potential turning point. After his struggles in the first set, he found rhythm on his serve and imposed himself from the baseline with his forehand. Those efforts finally yielded a small opportunity as Sinner stepped up to serve for a two-set lead at 6-4, 5-4 and Djokovic put together a focused, clean return game in a significant moment.

Jannik Sinner plays a backhand return to Novak Djokovic. Photograph: Julien de Rosa/AFP/Getty Images

After failing to generate a single break point in 40 consecutive Sinner service games, Djokovic finally reached 15-40 on Sinner’s serve. A forehand unforced error from Sinner on the second break point allowed Djokovic to break back. In other matches against lesser players this could have easily been a pivotal moment in the match, shifting the momentum in Djokovic’s favour and allowing him to establish himself in the match.

Although Sinner was clearly nervous in numerous tense moments in the final two sets, his focus and intensity never wavered and he found his best tennis in every decisive moment. Sinner secured the final two games of the second set, then he saved three set points on his serve at 4-5 in a tense third set before closing out the match with an excellent tie-break. Djokovic fought until the last ball but he also spent the entire match behind in the scoreboard, desperately fighting for a breakthrough. As is the case for almost anyone across the net from Sinner these days, the world No 1 did not allow that to happen.