By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday July 30, 2022
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will meet for the second time this month with the Umag title on the line.
Photo Source: Getty
Carlos Alcaraz was in all kinds of trouble, early and often, against Italian qualifier Guilio Zeppieri on Saturday at Umag. The Spaniard had to save three set points to scratch through the first set of their semifinal, then twisted his ankle and needed a medical timeout in the fifth game of the second set, which was won by Zeppieri.
After the 19-year-old Spanaird squandered a double-break lead in the final set, it seemed like he may not be able to escape the southpaw from Rome, but Alcaraz, true to form, found away to produce his best tennis when it mattered most.
He ran away with the final three games of the match to set a dream final with second-seeded Jannik Sinner – it is just the third final between the top two seeds in Umag history.
Sinner took the simple route to victory in Saturday’s second semifinal, as he stormed past another Italian qualifier, 28-year-old Franco Agemenone, 6-1, 6-3, to reach his first final of 2022.
Sinner and Alcaraz met earlier this month, in the round of 16 at Wimbledon, with the Italian snagging an inspired four-set victory, 6-1, 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3.
It was a contest that inspired visions of a long-term rivalry, with the two talents vying for Grand Slam titles over the next decade. Alcaraz, for one, embraces the vision.
"I'm going to try to be one of the best tennis player in the world for many years," he said after his loss to Sinner at Wimbledon. "Obviously Jannik is one of the best tennis player in the world as well. For sure he's going to be in the top for many years. I hope to have good rivalry with him. We hope to fight for the best tournaments in the world and the best moment in the world together."
Alcaraz took their other previous meeting, at Paris last autumn, 7-6(1), 7-5.
Their third meeting – and first on clay – promises to be another sparkling affair between two of the young forces in men’s tennis. Both players will bid for their sixth career title, with Alcaraz biding for his fifth of 2022 and Sinner bidding for his first.
The Spaniard pulled up perfectly after his injury scare in the second set; provided that he isn’t feeling the after effects on Sunday, a top-notch final is in the works – one last firecracker on the clay before the scene switches to the North American hard courts for the remainder of the summer.