Saturday saw Paolini become the first home winner of one of the singles titles in Rome for 40 years as she brushed aside Coco Gauff in straight sets, 6-4 6-2, ensuring a move up to No2 in the WTA rankings ahead of the French Open next week.
Not since Raffaella Reggi in 1985 had there been an Italian winner at the clay competition, but now there could be two in the same weekend as Sinner eyes glory on Sunday.
The reigning world No1 has made a successful return to the court this week after a three-month ban from tennis that followed his second successive Australian Open triumph in January, dropping only one set in five consecutive victories over Mariano Navone, Jesper De Jong, Francisco Cerundolo, Casper Ruud and Tommy Paul.
He now faces his toughest test against third seed Alcaraz, who is into his third straight final after impressive performances on the red dust in both Monte Carlo and Barcelona in recent weeks as he warms up for his title defence at Roland Garros.
With seven Grand Slam crowns between them, this afternoon’s contest is guaranteed to be entertaining as the pair meet for the 11th time on the ATP Tour.
Alcaraz currently leads the head to head by six wins to four, having won three meetings in a row, in last year’s epic five-set French Open semi-final and in a dramatic China Open final in October, plus the semi-finals at Indian Wells in 2024.
Wait over: Jasmine Paolini is the first home winner of a singles title at the Italian Open since 1985
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Alcaraz has bested Sinner in five of their last seven matches on tour, with the Italian achieving back-to-back victories in the semi-finals in Beijing and Miami in 2023.
However, it is worth noting that Sinner came out on top in straight sets in the inaugural Six Kings Slam exhibition final in Riyadh in October, winning £4.6million in prize money in the process.
Sinner vs Alcaraz start time
The 2025 Italian Open men’s singles final takes place on Sunday, May 18 at the Stadio Centrale in Rome.
The match is due to start at 2pm BST, which is 3pm local time.
How to watch Sinner vs Alcaraz
TV channel: In the UK, you can watch live coverage of the Italian Open on Sky Sports. Coverage starts from 11am BST on Sunday on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports Main Event.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also watch the action unfold live online via the Sky Go app.
Content Source: www.standard.co.uk