For Arthur Fils, this year’s Mutua Madrid Open felt a little extra special. It was his first time reaching the semifinals in Madrid, another big step forward for one of the tour’s brightest young stars.

And honestly, the signs had been there. Since returning from his injury break in February, Fils has looked sharp, confident, and increasingly dangerous. He carried that form right into Manolo Santana Stadium, where he put up a real fight against Jannik Sinner. Even against the world No. 1, the Frenchman showed exactly why so many people are excited about what’s ahead for him.

But once the Italian started taking control, the momentum shifted quickly. And as the match began slipping away, Fils couldn’t help but let his frustration show. After losing a point during the first set, Fils walked towards his box and said, “He’s killing me!”.

After breezing past the opening set, the World No. 1 continued this momentum in the second set as well. While Fils gave a far better fight this time around, Sinner gained a decisive break over him at 4-4 and earned the opportunity to serve for the match. He managed to hold his serve, wrapping up the match in 85 minutes.

This result has made Sinner just the third player in history to reach the final of the first four Masters 1000 events of the year. He joins Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the elite list. A victory in the final would see Sinner become a nine-time Masters 1000 champion. Madrid and Rome are the only two Masters events where the 24-year-old hasn’t been able to establish his supremacy.

Additionally, the Italian has now extended his winning streak to 27 matches in Masters 1000 events. This streak spans a total of five tournaments so far and had begun at the Paris Masters last year. His last defeat at such an event had come in Shanghai where he was forced to retire due to leg cramps during his second-round clash against Tallon Griekspoor.

Sinner has massively picked up his form since the Sunshine Double. He hasn’t lost a match since his quarterfinal clash against Jakub Mensik at the Qatar Open and is now on the verge of winning his fourth tournament in a row.

The Italian has put up sensational performances throughout the Madrid Open. He had looked a little shaky in his first-round clash against Benjamin Bonzi, but had managed to defeat him 6-7, 6-1, 6-4. Sinner would then go on to defeat Elmer Moller 6-2. 6-3 before knocking out Cameron Norrie 6-2, 7-5.

He would then eliminate the crowd-favorite Rafael Jodar 6-2, 7-6 in the quarterfinals and would get past Fils in straight sets as well. Sinner will be coming up against the winner of the second semifinal that is set to be played between Alexander Zverev and Alexander Blockx.

While Sinner leads Zverev by 9-4 in the H2H record and has already defeated him thrice this year, he is yet to encounter Blockx in a tour-level match. It remains to be seen who will the Italian face in the penultimate match of the Madrid Open.

On the other hand, Sinner was pretty satisfied with his display against Fils at the Manolo Santana Stadium. He admitted about feeling comfortable during the first set, but things got a little tricky for him when his opponent’s performance improved in the second set.

Jannik Sinner had a “very good” day at the office against Arthur Fils

“I tried to be best aggressive. I felt very comfortable in the return. Second set he started to serve better so it was more difficult. Very happy about the general performance today. I’m trying to play the best possible tennis I can in this moment. Today was a very good day in the office. But I knew it before the match, he’s one of the best players in the world at the moment. I’m very happy I’ve played against him. It means a lot to me. He’s very good for tennis, for the sport. I’m really happy about today’s performance,” he said during his post-match interview.

The victory over Fils has made Sinner just the fourth player to reach the final of every Masters 1000 event currently present on the tour. The only players who had achieved this monumental feat before him are Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal. The 24-year-old is also the youngest entrant on the list.

There is another record that Sinner can equal in the coming days. If he goes on to win in Madrid and stamps his authority in Rome later this month, then he will become just the second player after Novak Djokovic to complete the Career Golden Masters.

Will Sinner continue his winning streak and go on to conquer the clay-courts of Madrid for the first time in his career, or will his wait for the coveted title continue even further?