Italian Open 2025 Day 10 Semi Final Recap - Perfect Tennis

The stage is set for a thrilling climax at the 2025 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, as World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz powered through their semi-final matches on Friday to secure a blockbuster final on Sunday.

Sinner battled back from a set down to overcome Tommy Paul, while Alcaraz showcased his mental steel to outlast home favourite Lorenzo Musetti.

It’s no secret that these guys are by far the best two players in the world, so it’s the final that most fans will have wanted, and hopefully Sinner’s leg injury isn’t the deciding factor come Sunday.

Full recap, stats and highlights below.

Day Ten Italian Open 2025 Semi-Final Results

Winner
Loser
Scoreline

Jannik Sinner (1)
Tommy Paul (11)
1-6 6-0 6-3

Carlos Alcaraz (3)
Lorenzo Musetti (8)
6-3 7-6(4)

Alcaraz Mutes Musetti

Carlos Alcaraz powered into the Rome final with a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Lorenzo Musetti in the Internazionali BNL d’Italia semi-finals on Friday.

In a rematch from their clash in the Monte Carlo final, Alcaraz came out firing, leveraging his explosive forehand to surge to a 4-1 lead.

His aggressive baseline play and sharp court coverage set the tone early, with his forehand proving particularly lethal, racking up 14 winners to Musetti’s mere three over the match.

Despite the blustery conditions complicating shot-making, Alcaraz’s ability to dictate points was evident.

Musetti, buoyed by the passionate Campo Centrale crowd, fought back, found some rhythm with his elegant one-handed backhand and won two consecutive games to close the gap to 4-3.

However, Alcaraz remained unfazed. The Spaniard tightened his game, mixing solid defence with timely aggression to seal the first set 6-3.

The second set saw Musetti elevate his game, feeding off the crowd’s energy to take a 4-2 lead. The Italian, particularly on his backhand, put Alcaraz on the back foot, with the 3rd seed losing his first two service games of the set.

However, Alcaraz’s mental resilience has been good this week, and he clawed his way back to 4-4.

The set remained tightly contested, with Alcaraz earning a match point at 6-5 on Musetti’s serve, only to see the Italian hold firm.

As the set proceeded to a tie-break, Alcaraz stayed composed under pressure. While Musetti battled valiantly, errors crept into his game, and Alcaraz capitalised, securing the tie-break 7-4 to clinch the match after two hours and four minutes.

Today was a really difficult day with the conditions, the wind was tough to play with. It wasn’t about playing brilliant, spectacular tennis. It was about playing smart tennis, playing solid, going to the point when you can, and waiting for the chance to play aggressively. I think I did that pretty well, I stayed strong mentally when things didn’t go to my side. Alcaraz on the conditions.

Match Stats

Carlos Alcaraz
Lorenzo Musetti

Winners
19
9

Unforced Errors
42
44

Aces
1
0

Double Faults
5
1

1st Serve %
66% (47/71)
72% (67/93)

1st Serve Points Won
66% (31/47)
61% (41/67)

2nd Serve Points Won
46% (11/24)
27% (7/26)

Break Points Saved
63% (5/8)
64% (9/14)

Service Games
70% (7/10)
55% (6/11)

1st Return Points Won
39% (26/67)
34% (16/47)

2nd Return Points Won
73% (19/26)
54% (13/24)

Break Points Won
36% (5/14)
38% (3/8)

Return Games
45% (5/11)
30% (3/10)

Pressure Points
45% (10/22)
55% (12/22)

Service Points
59% (42/71)
52% (48/93)

Return Points
48% (45/93)
41% (29/71)

Net Points
67% (6/9)
83% (5/6)

Total Points
53% (87/164)
47% (77/164)

Match Points Saved
0
1

Max Points In A Row
8
8

Total Games
57% (12/21)
43% (9/21)

Max Games In A Row
3
2

Highlights

Sinner Sees Off Paul

Jannik Sinner delivered a comeback on Friday, overcoming a shaky start to defeat Tommy Paul 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 and secure his spot in the Rome final against Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner entered the encounter following a 6-0, 6-1 demolition of Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals, but this time he was the one on the receiving end of a breadstick as he was unexpectedly off-pace in the opening set.

I’d been critical of Paul for adopting the typical Yankee clay court swing avoidance strategy, but he played well in Madrid and even better in Rome.

The American is probably the best natural athlete on tour, and he started sharply, playing with confidence and preventing Sinner from gaining a foothold.

Paul raced through the set in under 30 minutes, taking it 6-1 as the Campo Centrale crowd fell silent, stunned by the World No. 1’s slow start.

In the second set, Sinner responded and tightened his game, cutting down errors and stepping inside the baseline to seize control of rallies. His trademark clean ball-striking and relentless movement returned, leaving Paul with few answers.

Sinner dominated, delivering a 6-0 bagel to level the match in a display of precision akin to what we saw last night against Ruud.

The decider was a rollercoaster. Sinner surged to a 3-0 lead, blending aggressive shot-making with solid defence.

But Paul, refusing to fade, fought back to 3-2, breaking Sinner’s serve and threatening to turn the match into a dogfight, especially when Sinner showed signs of a hamstring problem.

With Sinner’s leg hampering him, Paul needed to knuckle down and try to keep him out there for as long as possible.

But he didn’t take this approach, firing a string of unforced errors to drop serve again and allow the Italian to take the set 6-3 after one hour and 44 minutes.

Paul is a great athlete but has no great brain, and I think if he had played a bit smarter in the latter stages of that third set, he might have been able to get across the line. It was not easy, of course, as Sinner played hyper-aggressively, but some of the balls Paul sprayed long were bad mistakes.

Still, it was a fun match, and he gave Sinner plenty to think about as he moves super well, so when compared to what Ruud dished up, it was a breath of fresh air.

I just tried to stay there mentally. Today the conditions were different. It was much colder, heavier. I struggled with that a little bit and he broke me straight away. I tried to stay there, mentally what might work better. I stayed there in the first set. Winning the one game was very important. Tennis can change quickly… Today I showed that every moment is crucial and I am very happy about that and very happy to be in the final. Since the third round I have had a small blister under my foot. It doesn’t allow me that well to move in some moments. Today I felt it more than yesterday. And with the leg I am not concerned, it was just a bit tight, that is normal. I have to take care of this blister but there is no excuses. With the adrenaline there will be a lot of energy and for Sunday I am 100 per cent not concerned. Sinner on his semi final win.