Jannik Sinner booked his place in a much-anticipated Italian Open final against Carlos Alcaraz after battling back to defeat American Tommy Paul in front of an electric home crowd in Rome.
The world number one overcame a shaky start to triumph 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 and extend his winning streak to 26 matches.
Now just one win away from making history, the 23-year-old could become the first Italian to claim the title on home soil since Adriano Panatta in 1976.
Sinner struggled early, making 13 unforced errors and producing just two winners as Paul stormed to a 5-0 lead and dominated the first set.
But the tide turned dramatically in the second, with Sinner powering through nine straight games to seize control of the match and leave Paul reeling.
Earlier in the day, Carlos Alcaraz ended hopes of an all-Italian final by defeating Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) in a tense and fiery semifinal clash.
Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion, looks in formidable form ahead of the French Open and reached his fourth final of the year after a composed straight-sets victory.
Musetti, who also lost to Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo final last month, once again found himself outmatched.
He dropped serve three times in the opening set and racked up 29 unforced errors, visibly frustrated as he received a warning for smashing his racket.
The Italian did manage a brief fightback in the second set, going up 4-3 with some inspired play, but Alcaraz quickly leveled before closing out the match in a tense tie-break.
Now, two of tennis’ brightest young stars—Sinner and Alcaraz—will meet in a blockbuster final in Rome, with the crowd ready to witness a potential historic moment for Italian tennis.
