PREVIEW | ATP Rome Open 2025 - Semifinals: Tommy Paul aims to stop Jannik Sinner's return to glory, Carlos Alcaraz takes on Lorenzo Musetti

We now know the four players who will be fighting for a spot in the 2025 Rome Open final this Friday, May 16. After a jaw-dropping performance, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner is set to face American Tommy Paul, while Carlos Alcaraz will try to silence the home crowd when he takes on Italy's own Lorenzo Musetti.

The Rome Masters is getting closer and closer to finding out who will battle for the title at the Foro Italico this Sunday. After nearly two weeks of unforgettable matches and spectacular moments, only four players remain standing.

Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti secured their semifinal spots on Wednesday, while the remaining quarterfinal duels were wrapped up on Thursday, with Tommy Paul advancing earlier in the day, followed by the sensational nightime win by Jannik Sinner.

Up next, we'll break down each semifinal and look closely at how the protagonists are arriving to the penultimate day of the men's competition:

Former world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz returned to action in Rome after an impressive winning streak to start his European clay-court swing. The Spaniard put to rest any concerns about his form in Monte-carlo, claiming his first title there after a tight final against none other than Lorenzo Musetti. The Italian left Monaco with an asterisk next to his name, as he suffered an injury during the third set and had to finish the match clearly hampered.

Even so, Alcaraz fully earned that title -something he reinforced the following week in Barcelona, although things didn't go quite as smoothly. The four-time Grand Slam champion suffered the same fate as Musetti the Sunday before, picking up an injury that paved the way for Holger Rune to lift the trophy on Catalan soil.

Musetti couldn't compete in Barcelona and Alcaraz didn't recover in time for Madrid. But one thing is certain: We're in for another battle between two of the world's best players, and two who have been in top form during this stage of the season.

In Rome, Alcaraz has looked sharp, except for a slight scare against Khachanov, who managed to trouble the Spaniard but couldn't close it out. In the quarterfinals against Draper, the two-time Wimbledon champion was back to his best, giving the Brit no chance.

Musetti, for his part, comes into this match after taking down Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev, two top-tier opponents who simply couldn't handle the Italian's level. With these winsm Musetti has broken into the top 10 for the first time in his career.

Both players are coming in with sky-high motivation: Alcaraz has the edge in the head-to-head, but Musetti has the Roman crowd on his side.

There's no denying that Tommy Paul drew the short straw in the Italian capital. Not only does the local crowd's support heavily tilt the scales in favor of the world No. 1, but Jannik Sinner is also coming off a ruthless demolition of world No. 7, Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals.

It'll be fascinating to see what kind of strategy the American chooses to try and contain Sinner and prevent the match from slipping away on the scoreboard. Paul is one of those players who likes to run a lot and keep the rhythm high by redirecting pace, but trying that approach against this 2.0 version of Sinner could backfire and lead to a quick defeat.

Even though the three-time Grand Slam champion has every reason to be the clear favorite, Tommy Paul's run in Rome deserves serious respect. The New Jersey native has notched some impressive clay-court wins, the most notable being his comeback victory over Alex de Minaur, overturning an 0-5 head-to-head record. It's clear that the 27-year-old American feels right at home in Rome, reaching his second consecutive semis...but the big question remains: Does he have what it takes to stop a red-hot Sinner?