When Novak Djokovic said goodbye to the crowd on Monday court Philippe Chatrier, after the epic victory over Francisco Cerundolo, few would have expected this to be a final farewell. However, the Serbian confirmed what he had assumed after the last four and a half hours of the match: the meniscus injury in his right knee, diagnosed after an MRI, is so serious that he cannot compete again at Roland Garros. This withdrawal means that there will be a new winner in the tournament, that Casper Ruud will qualify for the semi-finals without having to enter the court, and that Jannik Sinner, 22 years old, will be the first Italian to top the ATP rankings. Since its establishment in 1973.
“It represents a great result and work ethic. It was one of my goals and my team's goals. The most important thing is to improve as a player and as a person, and to surround myself with great people. “Right now, I'm looking forward to the semi-finals,” Sinner said. The news came midway through The afternoon, when the Italian was already in control of the duel with Grigor Dimitrov (eighth in the standings), with a two-goal difference. groups To zero. Sinner served to close the score at 5-4, conceding for the first time breakBut he would end up confirming his excellent level and defeating the Bulgarian with a score of 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), achieving his twelfth consecutive victory in the tournament. SpecialtiesThis is after winning the Australian Open last January.
The Italian achieved a record of 33 wins in 35 matches this year, but his rise came since the last US Open, where he suffered only four defeats in 57 matches he played. “It's great for Italy; we have great players and great coaches and we can see that now. I'm happy to be part of this movement, and it's great to see people playing more and more. We have many leagues: junior, Futures that it His competitors And we have great competitions, the ATP Championships, the ATP Finals in Turin and Rome, and we have Next generation “It's great to see this movement in Milan,” said Sinner, after qualifying for his first Roland Garros semi-final.
To reach the first final since 2004 without Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Sinner will have to beat Carlos Alcaraz (third), in what is considered an early final. In the quarter-finals, the 21-year-old Spaniard defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas (ninth), 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4.
In the women's tournament, Coco Gauff (third) achieved her 30th victory this year and qualified for the semi-finals for the second time at Roland Garros. She is the youngest person to reach the semi-finals for the third time in a row in Grand Slam events at the age of 20 years. Since Maria Sharapova in 2007. The last US Open champion surrendered for the first time hiring In Paris, she defeated Ons Jabeur (ninth) with a score of 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Then, undisputed world number one Iga Swiatek added her 40th win over a top-10 opponent by eliminating Czech Marketa Vondrousova (6-0), the defending Wimbledon champion and finalist here in 2019, 6-0, 6-2. Paul decides with Gauff for a place in Saturday's final.
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