The Foro Italico (Italian Forum) has lived up to its name this past week as Jannik Sinner and Jasmine Paolini have given home fans a local hero to cheer for in both singles finals at the Italian Open.

ROME (Reuters) -World number one Jannik Sinner produced a sublime semi-final display as he fought back from a set down to beat American Tommy Paul 1-6 6-0 6-3 on Friday to set up an Italian Open final showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.

Sunday’s final will mark the first meeting between Sinner and Alcaraz since October, when Alcaraz won the China Open final in a third-set tiebreaker. Alcaraz holds a 6-4 edge in their career meetings and has won three straight against his biggest rival.