ATP Umag: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner fix dream finals
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will contest the final at the ATP 250 tournament in Umag.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Jul 30, 2022, 10:24 pm
The ATP 250 tournament in Umag has its dream final: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner made it into the final on Saturday and should have caused enthusiasm not only among the fans but also among the tournament organizers. However, the path to the final was extremely different for the two top seeded players.
Alcaraz had big problems in the first semi-final of the day against the Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and only won after almost three hours of play with 7: 5, 4: 6 and 6: 3. The defending champion survived some difficult situations: In the first round, Alcaraz saved three set balls, in the second set he unhappily twisted his ankle and in the decisive section the 19-year-old lost a 3-0 lead.
Alcaraz new number four in the world from Monday
From the point of 3: 3 in round three, however, Zeppieri was plagued by cramps, Alcaraz knew how to benefit from this and won the last three games. "It's great to be back in a final here," said the teenager, who will be number four in the world from Monday, after the match. He assumes that the ankle will not cause him any problems on Sunday.
That will also be necessary for Alcaraz to defend his title. Because Jannik Sinner showed a tremendous performance in the second semi-final and defeated his Italian compatriot Franco Agamenone 6:1 and 6:3. In the official head-to-head between Alcaraz and Sinner it is 1: 1, the South Tyrolean won the most recent duel in Wimbledon in four sets.