Italian tennis sensation Jannik Sinner secured his second consecutive semi-final spot at Roland Garros on Wednesday with a dominant straight-sets win over unseeded Kazakh Alexander Bublik.
The world number one effortlessly won his quarter-final match 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 in just one hour and 49 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier and has yet to lose a set at this year’s French Open.
Sinner, 23, will face 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic or third seed Alexander Zverev to reach Sunday’s final.
World number two Carlos Alcaraz said his recent victory over Tommy Paul was partly “inspired” by Sinner and his efficient approach to the game over the last couple of weeks.
Sinner has spent less than 10 hours on the court in his first five matches, systematically dismantling his opponents while conceding very few games. The Italian demonstrated to the centre court what his rival meant by wrapping up the opening set in just over half an hour.
Bublik, ranked 62nd, found a rhythm in the second set, matching Sinner point for point for most of that frame, but he never succeeded in breaking the Italian’s serve or applying real pressure.
Bublik then allowed Sinner to take a 2-0 lead with a double-fault while serving at 30-40 in the 11th game. Sinner, who is not known to overlook advantages, wrapped up the second set by holding the following game to love.
He began the third set with two consecutive breaks of Bublik’s serve, and then quickly advanced through the remainder of the set, clinching the match on his first opportunity with a cross-court forehand.
Sinner now holds a 4-1 lead in their head-to-head encounters, with his only loss occurring when he had to retire injured while trailing against the 27-year-old at Halle two years ago.
