Rome [Italy], May 16 (ANI): World number 1 Jannik Sinner moved within touching distance of a place in the Italian Open 2026 final before heavy rain forced the suspension of his semi-final clash against Daniil Medvedev in Rome on Friday night.

Sinner was leading 6-2, 5-7, 4-2 when officials halted play at the Foro Italico shortly before 11 pm (local time), with the match scheduled to resume on Saturday. According to Olympics.com, Medvedev was serving at game point in the seventh game of the deciding set when the play was interrupted.

The Italian looked firmly in control after dominating the opening set with aggressive baseline tennis and sharp returning. However, Medvedev fought back strongly in the second set as Sinner appeared hampered physically during several long rallies.

The Russian capitalised late in the set, breaking serve in the 12th game with a clean winner to level the contest and force a decider.

Sinner quickly regained momentum in the third set, securing an early break for a 2-1 advantage before extending his lead to 4-2 before the rain delay.

Victory would send the 24-year-old into Sunday's final against Casper Ruud, who cruised past Italy's Luciano Darderi 6-1, 6-1 in the other semi-final.

A title in Rome would mark a historic achievement for Sinner, who is bidding to become the first Italian man in 50 years to win the Italian Open since Adriano Panatta triumphed in 1976.

It would also complete Sinner's career Golden Masters collection, winning all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles, a feat achieved only by Novak Djokovic.

Sinner has already enjoyed a remarkable rise over the past two years, becoming Italy's first world number 1 and capturing four Grand Slam titles, including the Australian Open twice, the US Open and Wimbledon.

He also extended his ATP Masters 1000 winning streak to a record 32 matches after defeating Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals earlier this week. (ANI)