Jannik Sinner has fought his way into the semi-finals of the Cincinnati Open for the first time in his career.
The world number one managed to avenge Andrey Rublev in a comeback quarter-final win, just a week after the Russian got the better of him in Montreal.
Having lost the first set, it looked like Sinner might be yet again condemned to defeat at the hands of Rublev.
However, with the help of some on-court acrobatics, the 22-year-old managed to level things up before an early break in the third saw him to the finish line.
A superb season has seen Sinner break a handful of records already, as he most notably became the first Italian player to be ranked number one since the computerized singles rankings began in 1973.
Having historically struggled to string wins together in Cincinnati, the Italian has turned his fortunes around and broken a new record.
Jannik Sinner makes Italian history after defeating Andrey Rublev in Cincinnati
The world number one hasn’t been making life easy for himself recently.
With illness destroying his Olympic dream and injury having heavily disrupted his summer, Sinner has been searching for form on the hard courts.
By progressing to the last four, Sinner becomes the first Italian man to reach the Cincinnati semi-finals.
His progression to the last four marks a considerable change from his previous form in the midwest, with the Italian last year coming undone by Dusan Lajovic in the third round; a player who did not make it through qualifying this year.
After Sinner’s recent fitness update after defeat in Montreal, the Italian desperately needed a clean run in the midwest, to at least temporarily silence those doubting his level before the US Open.
With Sinner admitting a change in training, the Italian has looked to have progressed from Montreal, where he visibly struggled with multiple things.
Can Jannik Sinner win in Cincinnati?
The world number one is set to play Alexander Zverev for a spot in the final, after the German managed to win a close three-set match against Ben Shelton.
With five meetings between Sinner and Zverev, including at last year’s US Open, the German leads the head-to-head by four to one.
The Italian still doesn’t look his best, however the grit and resilience demonstrated so far this has been especially impressive.
Having played one match fewer than Zverev after a walkover to the last eight, Sinner may be feeling slightly fresher coming into their contest.
Moreover, Zverev has made tightening up at the most important moments a bit of an art form throughout his career.
The two giants are the two favourites to win Cincinnati, with Zverev able to leap up the rankings with a win here.
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