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Jannik Sinner wasted little time reaching his maiden BNP Paribas Open final at Indian Wells, racing to a 6-2 6-4 victory against Alexander Zverev to set up a potential title showdown with rival Carlos Alcaraz.
World No 2 Sinner produced a near-perfect display to earn his sixth consecutive tour-level win against Zverev in one hour and 23 minutes and seal a first championship-match appearance in the California desert.
The Italian, who lost to his great rival Alcaraz in the Indian Wells semi-finals in both 2023 and 2024, could face the world No 1 should the Spaniard overcome Daniil Medvedev later.
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"It's a great achievement. The first time here in the final, it means a lot to me," said Sinner. "The third time that I've played the semis here, so I'm very happy about that. Now let's see what's coming.
"Of course, the next one will be a very tough test, but I'm extremely happy. We have improved this week, this tournament, and that for me was the most important part.
"It was a great performance from my side. Sascha didn't play very well today I felt like. I broke him a couple of times in the first set, which gave me confidence to continue, and I served very well at important moments. I'm very happy."
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Sinner closed out his 83-minute victory having won 83 per cent (24/29) of points behind his first serve.
He has now reached the final at all six hard-court Masters 1000 tournaments.
Tale of the Tape
Tim Henman, speaking on Sky Sports Tennis
"Zverev kind of handed Sinner the breaks in the first set," he said. "It wasn't as if Sinner played brilliant tennis to win those points.
"He had opportunities in the early part of the second set and you felt as if Zverev could have got one of those, then he would have turned the table, but it was a little bit of a sense of déjà vu because you were waiting for Sinner to take those opportunities and it was very comfortable."
Martina Navratilova said: "Sinner backs his shots so well and then he attacks the return of serve so well. He clobbers Zverev on the second serve points and Zverev served well, but not well enough.
"Jannik just does not let you breath. He keeps pushing you and pushing you. His technique is perfect. Coach Darren Cahill has really improved his volley and transition to the net."
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