Jannik Sinner continues his assault on the ATP Tour at the Mutua Madrid Open, blasting his way into the semifinals without being seriously threatened. He is setting record after record as no one can seem to beat him. He hasn’t lost at any level this year, other than Novak Djokovic’s amazing upset of him at the Australian Open, plus a stunner against Jakub Mensik in Doha.
Standing opposite him in the Madrid Masters semifinal will be Arthur Fils. Can the Frenchman end this exceptional run? Can anyone?
ATP Madrid Semifinal Prediction
Jannik Sinner vs Arthur Fils
All runs have to come to an end eventually. Djokovic’s magical year in 2015 ended with an injury. Cal Ripken Jr. took a day off. Lou Boudreau fielded the ball cleanly, ending Joe DiMaggio’s hitting streak. And while Jannik Sinner’s current winning streak isn’t quite in the rarified air as the last two (let alone as impressive as Djokovic’s 2015 yet), it’s starting to feel as inevitable as those all-time greats did.
Which brings us to Arthur Fils. Is he going to be the man to end this exceptional winning streak at tennis’ highest level? The smart answer is to say no. Sinner is just a prohibitive favorite every time he takes to the court nowadays. He just doesn’t lose.
If he’s going to lose, it would take a player like Fils, though. The French youngster is playing exceptional tennis right now, winning the title in Barcelon and backing it up with impressive victories in Madrid so far, too. But Sinner is another animal right now. Fils has the mix of power and court sense to make the Italian work for the victory, but Sinner is just too good, especially on clay. There’s very little reason to think that Fils will be able to find his way through Sinner’s defense enough to get the win. It wouldn’t stun me, but it probably won’t happen.
Prediction: Sinner in 3
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
