World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is one step closer to claiming his maiden Shanghai Masters title after defeating Czech 30th seed Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-5 in a hard-fought semifinal on Saturday. With this victory, Sinner becomes the first Italian to reach the final of the prestigious tournament.
Machac started strong, winning the first two games, but Sinner quickly found his rhythm, recovering to take control of the opening set. Though errors from Machac helped Sinner close out the first set in 44 minutes, the contest remained highly competitive throughout.
Sinner, who has already won two Grand Slam titles this year, faced a tough challenge from Machac, especially in the second set. However, the Italian top seed displayed his characteristic resilience, making just nine unforced errors and sealing his 64th win of the season.
Machac, who impressed earlier in the week by ending Carlos Alcaraz’s 12-match winning streak, continued to showcase his strong form. The Czech also comes off an Olympic gold medal win in mixed doubles at the Paris 2024 Games.
Sinner now awaits his opponent in the final, which will be decided between fourth seed and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and American seventh seed Taylor Fritz, who play later in the day.
With the final in sight, Sinner is on the brink of adding another significant title to his already stellar 2024 season.
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