Sinner to Semis

A quarterfinal match against the fifth seeded Daniil Medvedev last night saw top ranked Italian Jannick Sinner emerge as the victor in four sets.  The win moved Sinner into the semifinals on Friday, where he will play the #25 seed Jack Draper of the United Kingdom.  The other semifinal pits two Americans against each other; #12 Taylor Fritz vs. #20 Frances Tiafoe, assuring that there will be an American competing for the Championship on Sunday.

In defeating Medvedev, Sinner continued to display the form that has moved him into the number one spot in Men's Tennis.  For a decade now, Medvedev has been one of the strongest, steadiest players to pick up a racket.  He is undoubtedly among the toughest "outs" in any tournament he enters, as he really has no weaknesses  Every facet of his game is great... and that has been both a blessing and curse for the man.  He is now 28 years old, and with all of the big matches he has played in, it is difficult to fathom that he only has one Grand Slam title to his credit (the 2021 US Open). 

Above: Jannick Sinner serves notice that he intends to stay at the top of Men's Tennis for a while. Photo: Todd Pechter for Florida Tennis.

The issue as we see it:  Against several players (especially those in the top 10), in several matches (especially those played in later rounds of Grand Slams), great is simply not good enough.  In those instances, one needs to play beyond great; to lift oneself to the level of being "extraordinary", and even beyond that to "amazing" or "spectacular".   And there have been and currently are players who prove themselves more capable of accomplishing that kind of thing.

Take, for example, one Jannick Sinner and last night's match.  Over the first three sets, the two players were engaged in a seesaw battle; Sinner taking the first set 6-2; Medvedev winning the second set 6-1; and the third set going back to Sinner at 6-1.  While the scores in those sets was lopsided, there didn't appear to be all that much separating the two players.  

Above: Sinner closes at the net. Photo: Todd Pechter for Florida Tennis. 

Then comes the forth set; Sinner attempting to zone in for the kill, while Medvedev fights to stay alive — each player putting a little more 'oomph' behind his shots; going for a little more angle and depth.  And as it has been for him in numerous Grand Slams, Medvedev ran into someone who was better than him when it came to pushing things beyond great, with Sinner taking the set 6-4 and completing the victory. 

What we are basically seeing is that right now, Sinner is, playing at a level above all others... and that he can rise another level or two beyond that when he needs to.  It will take a huge effort from one of the other three men left in the draw to prevent Sinner from lifting the trophy at tournament's end.

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Written by Florida Tennis Contributor Todd Pechter. Photos by Todd Pechter for Florida Tennis.