CNN
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The Italian Open crowd has had plenty of local success to celebrate over the last week-and-a-half, with Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti reaching the semifinals of the men’s draw, and Jasmine Paolini reaching the final on the women’s side.
An imperious Sinner, who returned from a three-month doping ban at the tournament, dropped just one game as he crushed No. 6 seed Caper Ruud 6-0 6-1 on Thursday.
Perhaps there has been an element of divine intervention for Sinner this week after the world No. 1 met the new pope, Leo XIV, at the Vatican on Wednesday and gifted the pontiff a tennis racket.
“I never experienced something like this,” Sinner said of the meeting. “I met important people in my young life. This was just something else.
“I didn’t know exactly really what to say. It was a very emotional thing also with my parents there. It was something I will never forget, that’s for sure.”
Meanwhile, Ruud took Thursday’s defeat with good humor, saying that “it was just like playing a wall that shoots 100mph balls at you all the time.”
“It doesn’t feel so bad,” Ruud dded. “Honestly, I think it was more fun than anything, even though I lost love and one, it’s like you just look at the guy and say: ‘Wow, this is kind of next-level s**t.’
“Excuse my language. I don’t know what else to say. It was almost fun to witness at the same time.”
Ruud added it was “as near as perfect” a performance he has witnessed first-hand from a tennis player.
Sinner will now face American Tommy Paul in Friday’s semifinal.
No. 11 seed Paul hasn’t had the best of luck off the court this week. He told reporters after his quarterfinal win over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz that a couple of missed payments meant his beloved truck, which he called his “baby,” had been repossessed.
Paul said he sent his trainer with $1,000 to go and collect the truck in Florida while he competed in Rome.
Meanwhile, Sinner’s compatriot Musetti will face Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the other men’s semifinal after an impressive 7-6(1), 6-1 win over No. 2 seed Alex Zverev.
Musetti boasts a vast repertoire of shots and his game is a joy to behold when in the kind of form he demonstrated against Zverev. His one-handed backhand is especially aesthetic in an era dominated by two-handers.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed a successful clay-court season so far, reaching the final in Monte-Carlo, the semifinals in Madrid and now the last four again in Rome.
“Full crowd, full stadium, and that’s a big advantage,” Musetti said after his win on Wednesday, per the ATP. “All this week there has been incredible support from the fans.
“I felt the adrenaline and energy from the first point, even if it was not an easy start, but I managed to come back and find a way, and that’s the key of this match.”
Paolini set for showdown with Gauff
Meanwhile, Paolini is the first Italian woman in 11 years to reach the final of the Italian Open, where she will face America’s Coco Gauff on Saturday.
The home favorite earned a 7-5, 6-1 victory against the USA’s Peyton Stearns in Thursday’s semifinal, while Gauff defeated Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen 7-6(3), 4-6, 7-6(4).
Should Paolini win on Saturday, she would end a 40-year wait for an Italian woman to win the title.
“In the first round I was nervous and in the second also, and maybe again today, but the crowd was unbelievable and they helped me a lot,” Paolini told Sky Sports.
“It’s beautiful to play here in Italy and they support us no matter what, so that is the most important thing.”
The No. 6 seed has experienced lifting a trophy at her home tournament, clinching the doubles title last year with compatriot Sara Errani, the last Italian woman to reach the singles final in Italy.
Paolini and Errani are also both through to the women’s doubles final this year. The Italian pair beat Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva in the semifinal in straight sets on Friday.