By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, November 13, 2020
Nineteen-year-old phenom Jannick Sinner made history as the youngest Italian in the Open Era to reach an ATP final with a 6-3, 7-5 Sofia Open win over Adrian Mannarino.
Photo credit: @SofiaOpenTennis
Jannik Sinner has reveled in the rush of downhills surges.
Today, Sinner streaked into history in Sofia with closing conviction.
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The 19-year-old phenom fired a diagonal forehand wrapping a 6-3, 7-5 triumph over Adrian Mannarino sending Sinner into his first ATP final at the Sofia Open.
Six years ago, Sinner chose tennis over a competitive skiing career.
Today, Sinner surged into history as the youngest Italian ATP finalist in the Open Era. Sinner is the youngest man to reach a title match since an 18-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced to the 2019 Stuttgart final. Sinner is the first ATP finalist born in 2001.
"It's great to be in the final," Sinner said. "Last tournament of the year and first final, I will try to finish the season in the best possible way. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's match."
Ranked 44th and rapidly rising, Sinner celebrated Friday the 13th raising his record to 18-11. He will face Vasek Pospisil in tomorrow’s final.
Continuing his quest for his first career singles title, the 74th-ranked Pospisil pumped 19 aces rallying past Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-0. It is Pospisil's second final of the season and third career title match.
Poise, power and some stinging serving under press sparked Sinner today.
Thatches of thick red hair spilling out of his Nike baseball cap, the 6’2” Italian was confident and clean on serve. Sinner struck nine aces, won 81 percent of his first serve points and saved all three break points he faced in the second set.
In his Roland Garros debut last month, Sinner upset seventh-ranked Alexander Zverev to become the youngest French Open quarterfinalist since Novak Djokovic in 2006.
Playing his third Tour-level semifinal today, Sinner showed no sign of nerve against the flat-hitting left-hander who contested the Nur-Sultan final 12 days ago.
Ultimately, Sinner’s skill on the finishing strike made the difference against Mannarino’s probing, ball-control style predicated on placement.
Mannarino won the toss, elected to receive and stamped two love holds to start. Sinner started to make his move in the fifth game sliding a slick running forehand winner down the line to hold.
The Frenchman shoveled successive meek forehands into net to gift the break and a 3-2 lead to Sinner. Mannarino compounded his issues spiking his yellow-and-black Babolat to the court twice, incurring a code violation warning for racquet abuse after the second transgression.
Sinner stung some heavy serves to confirm the break snatching a 5-2 lead after 27 minutes.
Balance and the ability to strike down the line off both wings are Sinner strengths he showed bending low to redirect a forehand winner down the line. Sinner smacked his second ace for set point and sealed the 35-minute opener on a netted backhand.
Timely second serving helped Sinner escape stress tests in the fourth and sixth games of set two.
"When you go out on court you have a plan for what you have to do, but very often that plan changes during the match," Sinner said. "He was serving really well, so I had to make adjustments to my return and try to move it more on the court.
"His backhand is also very dangerous. It was certainly a physical duel."
Brief backswings help Mannarino redirect pace effectively and earn double break point. Sinner saved the first coaxing a netted backhand then drilled a heavy second serve to deny the second. Using the body serve helped the teenager hold for 2-all.
An aggressive second serve helped Sinner stave off a third break point highlighting a gritty hold with an ace to level after six games.
Though Mannarino had more chances midway through the second set, he had nothing to show for it.
Sinner showed sideline-to-sideline speed as he dug out a forehand near the alley, sprinted back across the court and spun an open-stance backhand pass down the line to open the 11th game with a superb strike that prompted applause from Mannarino.
Wisely targeting the Frenchman’s forehand wing, Sinner drew successive errors from that wing for triple break point. Mannarino hit a fine angled volley and had the teenager completely off the court. Needing only to clear the net, Mannarino instead badly bungled an easy volley into net. That miscue, which will surely give Mannarino nightmares, handed the break and a 6-5 lead to Sinner.
Showing no trace of nerve, Sinner served out his first trip to an ATP final at love drilling a diagonal forehand to close in one hour, 27 minutes. It's the first of likely many future finals for Sinner, who competes with calm clarity.