DJOKOVIC FACES SINNER TEST IN FRENCH OPEN SEMI-FINAL SHOWDOWN
Novak Djokovic must overcome a significant challenge in the form of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Friday if he hopes to reach his eighth French Open final.
The 24 time Grand Slam winner displayed tactical brilliance in the quarter-finals, defeating last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev in four sets. That performance secured Djokovic a ninth career meeting with the Italian, who is looking to reach his first Roland Garros final.
Match Preview
While many expected a five-set thriller, Djokovic dispatched Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, denying the German a fifth consecutive appearance in the semi-finals.
In a match lasting just over three hours, the 38 year old Serb’s shot variety and dominance from the baseline proved decisive. With that win, Djokovic reached his 51st career Grand Slam semi-final and his 13th at Roland Garros.
At 38, Djokovic is now the oldest man since Pancho Gonzales in 1968 to make the semi-finals in Paris. After a shaky clay-court season marked by early exits in Monte Carlo and Madrid, he found form by claiming his 100th ATP title in Geneva, just before arriving in Paris.
Currently riding a nine-match win streak, Djokovic will need to end a three-match losing run against Sinner to move a step closer to an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title. That task, however, is complicated by Sinner’s impressive recent form since returning from injury at the Rome Masters.
Sinner’s Streak
Despite seeing his 26 match winning streak snapped by Carlos Alcaraz at the Italian Open, Sinner remains unbeaten in Grand Slam play since a quarter-final loss to Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon 2023.
Since then, the 23-year-old has compiled an unblemished Slam record: seven wins on his way to the 2023 US Open title, another seven to defend his Australian Open crown earlier this year, and five straight in Paris so far. That run has propelled him into a second consecutive French Open semi-final.
In his latest match, Sinner cruised past Alexander Bublik 6-1, 7-5, 6-0. Bublik had previously staged a two-set comeback win over Alex de Minaur and pulled off a surprise upset of Jack Draper, but Sinner ended the Kazakh’s inspired run with ease.
Sinner’s 19th consecutive Slam win ties him with Rafael Nadal, who last achieved that feat between the 2008 French Open and the US Open quarter-finals that year. Sinner has now reached the semi-finals in five of the past six majors, improving his career record in Paris to 21 wins and five losses.
His only prior French Open quarter-final appearance came during his debut in 2020. Since then, he failed to get past the fourth round in 2021 and 2022, and exited in the second round last year. This current campaign marks his best-ever showing on Paris clay as he targets his maiden clay-court Slam title.
If he wins on Friday, Sinner will end Djokovic’s unbeaten streak in completed matches at Roland Garros dating back to 2022 and earn a place in the final against either Carlos Alcaraz or fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
Tournament Progress
Sinner’s Road to the Semi-Finals:
- R1: def. Arthur Rinderknech 6-4, 6-3, 7-5
- R2: def. Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-0, 6-4
- R3: def. Jiri Lehecka 6-0, 6-1, 6-2
- R16: def. Andrey Rublev 6-1, 6-3, 6-4
- QF: def. Alexander Bublik 6-1, 7-5, 6-0
Djokovic’s Road to the Semi-Finals:
- R1: def. Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-3, 6-3
- R2: def. Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(1)
- R3: def. Filip Misolic 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
- R16: def. Cameron Norrie 6-2, 6-3, 6-2
- QF: def. Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
Head-to-Head Record
The rivalry between Djokovic and Sinner is now tied at 4-4. Djokovic claimed victory in their first three meetings, including at Wimbledon and Monte Carlo. However, Sinner has turned the tide by winning three of the last four, including their most recent Grand Slam clash in the Australian Open semi-final.
Their 2024 Australian Open meeting saw Sinner win in four sets, and notably, in both that match and the Shanghai final later that year, Djokovic failed to earn a single break point on the Italian’s serve an area he must improve to stand a chance on Friday.
This will be their first clay-court encounter since Djokovic’s straight-sets win in Monte Carlo 2021. While Djokovic boasts a 5-0 record in completed semi-finals over the last year, Sinner is riding an eight-match semi-final win streak dating back to his loss to Alcaraz at the 2023 French Open.
With both players in stellar form, their semi-final promises to be one of the highlights of this year’s tournament.
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