TORONTO — They started the National Bank Open on the same side of the court, teammates in pursuit of doubles success. But on Sunday, Jannik Sinner and Alex de Minaur will find themselves at opposite ends of Centre Court, going head-to-head in a battle to be the last man standing atop a podium that’s only got room for one.
The two men, whose doubles bid was ended in the first round by eventual finalists Jean-Julien Rojer and Marcelo Arevalo, each earned their way to the final day with straight-set victories over their respective opponents on Saturday. De Minaur made quick work of his matinee matchup, defeating fellow unseeded opponent Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. Sinner, meanwhile, showed off his signature precision, poise, and powerful forehand in his 6-4, 6-4, victory over Tommy Paul.
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While his doubles duties will be far from his mind when he hits the court on Sunday, Sinner acknowledged his familiarity with his finals foe.
“We know each other quite well,” he said, adding that they’ve shared practice times in Monaco on occasion. “We have faced each other already a couple of times. We know exactly what to expect. He has improved, as I do. And, you know, it’s nice that we can, yeah, share the court for important trophy.
“It’s going to be a tough challenge, for sure, but I love to take these challenges.”
Of course, their doubles connection isn’t the only thing these young stars have in common. Neither player has won a Masters 1000 event on the ATP Tour, and both have felt like they’re on the brink of major breakouts, knocking on the door — or, perhaps in de Minaur’s case, making the most of this window he’s opened and showing the tennis world why he deserves to be here to stay.
De Minaur is feeling right at home in Canada. The 24-year-old Australian has been playing some of the best tennis of his career at this week’s National Bank Open, and his performance in his first-ever Masters 1000 semifinal on Saturday ensured his time in Toronto isn’t done quite yet.
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“The way I see it, I might have to become Canadian after all,” he quipped post-match, the comment met with roaring applause from the fans. (It’s safe to say he’s more than made amends with the home crowd since defeating young Canuck Gabriel Diallo on Wednesday.)
“I’ve been loving my time here, I’ve had a hell of a week,” he said. “It’s been the breakthrough that I’ve always known I had inside of me.”
In a tournament filled with upsets, de Minaur’s path stands out. His Canadian campaign opened with a victory against world No. 13 Cameron Norrie of Great Britain, and after defeating Diallo in the round of 32 he ousted two top-10 opponents: Taylor Fritz, ninth in the world and an eighth seed at the NBO, followed by world No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in what was de Minaur’s first-ever quarterfinal at the Masters 1000 level. His finals appearance marks the third straight year, and fourth time in the tournament’s last five years, that an unseeded player has made it to the final match.
Davidovich Fokina, too, slayed some tennis giants en route to Saturday’s semifinal — his second career ATP Masters 1000 semifinal appearance. The world No. 37 entering this week had been having a strong showing in Toronto thanks in large part to his tournament-leading return game. The Spaniard defeated world No. 4 Casper Ruud of Norway in the Round of 16 but appeared to run out of steam on Saturday, committing 22 unforced errors compared to de Minaur’s four. Though his week was very positive overall, he called Saturday’s performance “a very bad day in the office.”
Indeed, the de Minaur-Davidovich Fokina semifinal matchup, a swift 77-minute duel between two unseeded players, wasn’t pretty — windy conditions made sure of that — but it was certainly entertaining at times, with long rallies and closely contested shots, particularly in the second set.
“I just kind of just told myself that no matter what, I was going to compete every point, stay positive, and not get frustrated by how the match may go, and I’m just going to give myself the best chance of staying tough mentally,” said de Minaur, who broke Davidovich Fokina’s serve seven times, held service all but once, and efficiently squashed every attempt from the Spaniard to build anything resembling a comeback. But it was his mental game that stood out most to him.
“I think that’s probably what got me the win today,” he said.
For Sinner, you can credit many parts of his game for his victory — say, his unflappable demeanour, his laser-beam forehand, his ability to stump his American opponent who just 24 hours earlier had upset world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz.
And after Saturday’s battle, no one will be questioning the Italian star’s endurance. In the sixth game of the second set, with Sinner up 4-2, he and Paul put on a show that brought fans to their feet: a thrilling, 46-shot rally that (finally) favoured Sinner when Paul’s shot went long.
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Asked post-match how he felt when he saw he’d won the marathon rally, Sinner summed it up with just a single word:
“Tired,” he said with a smile.
Neither de Minaur nor Sinner has won an ATP Masters 1000 event before, making this year’s NBO a major milestone for both men. Sunday will bring Sinner’s third career finals appearance at this level, but this is a first for de Minaur.
“It’s no secret I’ve been wanting to get to this stage for the last two, three years. You know, I’ve been top 20 in the world for maybe the last four years and kind of being stable. And, you know, there’s a lot of merit in that, but, at the same time, I’ve been wanting to push for more,” said de Minaur. “And I think the step is basically just going on a run in a big tournament. That’s the biggest difference. That’s where you get all the points and where you’re able to make the big jump. And then, all of a sudden, you start getting protected a little bit more with seedings and stuff at the bigger tournaments, and then everything starts to click.
“So, I think I’m in the right direction. And, yeah, hopefully this is the week.”
Sinner, who’s no doubt hoping the third time will be the charm, shared a similar sentiment.
“It’s another great challenge for me, another chance,” he said. “I’ve been working very hard for these matches, like semifinals and finals. And happy … that tomorrow I have another chance.”
He continued: “I have been in the situation already a couple of times, so I know the feeling before an important final, which is good.
“And hopefully I can show this tomorrow.”
