Jannik Sinner returned to action in Rome after three months away and it did not take long for him to set up a match with his fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz.
To the delight of his home crowd, Sinner reached the semi-finals of the Italian Open, his best result at the tournament to date.
But he improved on that achievement by coming from behind to defeat Tommy Paul 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 to advance to Sunday’s championship match.
His opponent will be none other than Alcaraz, who Sinner will face for the first time since the China Open final in October 2024.
Photo by Frey/TPN/Getty ImagesAndre Agassi says if Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz is the better clay court player
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have both shown they have the ability to succeed on all surfaces.
While Sinner has just the solitary clay court title to his name so far, he reached the last four at the French Open and is into his first final in Rome.
Alcaraz is the reigning French Open champion and this is one of the nine titles he has won on the surface. The 1999 Roland Garros winner Andre Agassi joined Tennis Channel Live to rate Sinner and Alcaraz on clay.
“I look at it like Alcaraz’s upside on anything that is slippery is his chance to be a level or have an advantage over Sinner,” Agassi said.
“The one thing which impresses me so much about Alcaraz – and there is a lot he can improve in my opinion as well – is when I watch him at Wimbledon and watch him on the slippery grass and clay, his speed diminishes less than other fast guys.
“You get to anything slippery and it seems like Alcaraz’s movement does not diminish nearly as much as anybody else. His balance and strength is there, his ability to move forward and grass and cover drop shots with his athleticism, he carries it all.
“I think that has a lot to do with the strength in his legs and the balance of his movements so when you start looking at these areas on grass and clay, I give him a little bit of an edge, assuming he is healthy and feeling good.
“But when you look at a hard court when Sinner can just get on top of those balls – there is so much action coming off of Alcaraz’s racket.
“But if you can get on top of the ball so you are not playing it after the ball makes its full rotation of arc, I mean you can use that energy and really punish the ball every bit as much as Sinner punishes the ball but do it directionally and use the energy of it.
“When Sinner is given that kind of intensity, Sinner starts directing traffic on the hard surfaces. But you start going to the French Open and Wimbledon and I think you will start to see the 3% diminished movement start being a huge factor in the difference.”
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty ImagesCarlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will contest the Italian Open final
Alcaraz and Sinner will do battle for the 11th time when they square off in the Italian Open final.
The pair have both dropped just one set on the way to the championship match, and this is the contest many fans were hoping for.
Alcaraz and Sinner have never contested a final at Masters 1000 level, and it is expected to be another fascinating match between the two players.
Sinner has yet to lose a match in 2025, while Alcaraz has won 14 of his 15 matches on clay this season and has reached every final he has played on the surface this year.
Alcaraz, who has won his last three matches against Sinner, is certainly ready for the challenge of facing the top seed in his home country.
“Jannik… I mean everybody saw the match against Casper. It was a huge level. Let’s see,” Alcaraz said. “Against Jannik, I have to be ready for that battle. And obviously dealing with the crowd. It’s gonna be an interesting Sunday for sure.”