PARIS: Jannik Sinner continued his pursuit of a second Grand Slam in 2024 by comfortably beating Grigor Dimitrov to reach the semi-finals of the French Open.
The Australian Open winner beat the Bulgarian 10th seed 6-2 6-4 7-6 (7-3).
Italian second seed Sinner had never gone further than the quarter-final stage at Roland Garros but looked in total control on Tuesday.
Sinner will face Spanish third seed Carlos Alcaraz or Greek ninth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, who play later on, in the last four.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic's withdrawal from the tournament through injury places Sinner firmly among the favourites to win the title.
It also means the 22-year-old will become the first Italian to be world number one when the latest rankings are released next week.
"It's every player's dream to become number one in the world. On the other hand, seeing Novak retiring (from the tournament) is disappointing, so I wish him a speedy recovery," said Sinner.
On a blustery Court Philippe Chatrier, Sinner appeared focused, making just his second quarter-final appearance at the clay-court Grand Slam. Agencies
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