World number one Jannik Sinner defeated Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-4 on Friday to secure his place in the Madrid Open final.
The Italian extended his winning streak to 22 consecutive matches, booking a spot in Sunday’s final where he will aim to claim a record fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title.
With his chief rival Carlos Alcaraz sidelined through injury, Sinner enters the final at the Caja Mágica as the firm favourite. He already holds recent titles at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo.
The 24-year-old will face either second seed Alexander Zverev or promising Belgian Alexander Blockx in the championship match.
Reflecting on his performance, Sinner told Movistar: “I played at a very high level, but I focus on always raising my level a little. Especially when the tournament gets serious… You have to raise your level if you want to keep going.”
The Italian admitted to feeling some fatigue after a demanding run of matches.
“Obviously there’s a bit of fatigue — mentally I feel good, but there is some physical tiredness. My body isn’t completely fresh, but that’s normal, and I think it’s a very positive thing for me because it means I’m playing a lot of matches,” he said.
“Of course on Sunday we’ll try to do even better, but whatever happens, I’ve reached another final in a very important tournament.”
Beating Sinner at present appears a near-impossible task. The four-time Grand Slam winner began superbly against the Barcelona Open champion Fils, who has impressed since returning from injury in February.
Sinner broke in the third game when Fils sent a shot long, taking a 2-1 lead. He broke again in the fifth game as the world number 25 struggled to cope with the Italian’s sheer power.
The Frenchman has yet to reach a Masters 1000 final, and with Sinner in sumptuous form, it quickly became clear he would have to wait longer. Sinner wrapped up the first set on his serve after Fils showed brief resistance to prevent a third break.
The second set proved far closer, with Fils growing in confidence and belief. The 21-year-old saved two break points to take a 3-2 lead and put pressure on Sinner’s next service game, though the Italian produced two aces to hold.
Sinner eventually broke with a down-the-line backhand winner to end an excellent rally, moving 5-4 ahead before serving out the match to triumph.
