"During the night usually I never struggle to sleep. This night was not easy" - Preparation uneasy but perfect result for Jannik Sinner to seal Rome Open final

Jannik Sinner is into a second consecutive Rome Open final. He did it the scenic route, defeating Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 over two days of action after returning today to get the job done. Nerves and a troubling night sleep did its best to prevent his progress, but he can now set his sights on a final showdown against Casper Ruud.

Rain was the main issue on the Friday. Sinner comfortably strode out into a 6-2 lead before being pegged back by the Russian in the second. He was struggling with his knee while also throwing up. However, when 4-2 ahead in the third and deciding set, the rain came tumbling down once more. A fitting trend to the recent action at Foro Italico.

The match would be suspended, and rearranged for the Saturday. Sinner returned to court a man on a mission, and he completed the task at hand on serve with his third match point. He has now won 33 consecutive Masters 1000 matches, made it 28 wins in a row, confirmed a sixth successive Masters 1000 final while becoming just the second player to make all three Masters 1000 events on clay in a single season, joining Rafael Nadal. The title tomorrow would complete the collection of Masters 1000 tournaments, a feat only Novak Djokovic has accomplished.

Numerous obstacles came the way of the world number one, who showed his class and mental strength to overcome everything from Friday before coming back and swiftly getting proceedings completed.

"Very different challenge. A tough challenge to be honest," Sinner said after the match. "During the night usually I never struggle to sleep. This night was not easy. When you’re in the third set, nearly done, but you still have to show up again. You never know what’s happening you know."

The butterflies were there for Sinner who knew that tomorrow would be another tough occasion. "It’s basically a new start of a match. There are nerves again. But again I’m very happy how I handled the situation. Very happy to be back in the final. Tomorrow is gonna be again a very tough day. But I’m very happy this match is finally over. It was a very long one.. very happy.”

He will take on the former Madrid Open champion Ruud in the final. The Norwegian has looked near to his best once more on a surface he holds dear to his heart. He finally made it to a first final in Rome after three prior semi-finals after thrashing an underwhelming Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1, preventing a much-wanted all-Italian final for the home support.

His form against Sinner, like basically everyone on the ATP Tour, made for grim reading. Four matches played, and all four going the way of the four-time Grand Slam champion. To rub salt into the wound, Ruud has never even won a set, making Sinner the overwhelming favourite on paper. Nevertheless, Ruud has had a lot more time to prepare and rest for the big final.

“I think he’s playing much much better tennis right now [than when they played last year]," Sinner admitted. "It’s gonna be very tough. Every match every week even if you play with the same player week after week is completely different."

Overall, he was relieved to be back in another final in Rome in front of his fans. "I’m just happy to stand again here in the final. Special tournament for me. Special tournament for Italians. I just try to do my best. If it goes well, I’m very happy. If not, final of a Masters is an amazing result.”