Paris: Italian Jannik Sinner stepped up his bid for a second Grand Slam title by securing a 6-2 6-4 7-6(3) victory over Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday to reach the French Open semi-finals, minutes after it was confirmed he would be the new world number one.
Although he didn't know it at the time, the second seed will take top spot in the rankings next week regardless of who wins the French Open after defending champion Novak Djokovic pulled out with a knee injury before his quarter-final match.
A trickier test could await for Australian Open champion Sinner, however, as he faces a potential clash against fellow young gun Carlos Alcaraz who meets Stefanos Tsitsipas later.
Sinner tested Dimitrov's backhand early in the contest on Philippe Chatrier and the lanky 22-year-old got a double break over his 10th-seeded opponent en route to take the opening set without getting out of second gear.
A searing crosscourt forehand winner set up break point at the start of the next and Sinner held firm to edge ahead, before shrugging off a back twinge to extend his dominance and lay the platform for a 33rd victory of a near-flawless season.
World number 10 Dimitrov, who lifted his first title since 2017 at Brisbane earlier this year and reached two more finals, battled on bravely in the third set and forced a tiebreak where a clinical Sinner wrapped up the match with no trouble.
Published 04 June 2024, 16:47 IST