Jannik Sinner remains on course for Masters 1000 history after reaching Madrid Open final

Jannik Sinner swatted aside Arthur Fils to book his place in the Madrid Open final, becoming the youngest man in history to reach all nine Masters 1000 finals.

Should he beat Alexander Zverev on Sunday – a man he has beaten in their last eight meetings, the last five in straight sets – the world No 1 would become the first man to ever win five consecutive Masters tournaments.

His run began in Paris late last year, before successive titles in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo this season.

The Italian is now on a 22-match unbeaten streak, and despite admitting he finds the notorious, high-altitude conditions of Madrid difficult, has rarely been troubled in the Spanish capital this week.

He took apart Fils, one of the ATP Tour’s in-form players and the recent Barcelona Open champion, 6-2 6-4 in a little over an hour and a half.

He said: “I tried to be very aggressive, I felt very comfortable on the return. In the second set, he started to serve better, so it was more difficult. But I’m very happy about the general performance today. I’m trying to play the best possible tennis, but today was a very good day in the office.”

He follows in the footsteps of only Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in completing the set of Masters finals, and at 24 years old has done it a year quicker than previous record holder Djokovic.

Should he win the Madrid title and then win the next Masters event in Rome, Sinner would join 40-time Masters champion Djokovic as the only men to complete the clean sweep of all titles at this level.

Fils said: “I played some great, great opponents, but it’s still different [against Sinner]. When I’m stepping on the court against him, I feel like I play great tennis, but it’s not enough.”

Zverev will look to end his dismal recent record against the Italian in Sunday’s final; the pair have met in five straight Masters tournaments, with the last four meetings coming in semi-finals, and Sinner winning each in straight sets.

The German beat unseeded Belgian talent Alexander Blockx 6-2 7-5 in their last-four encounter to join the ranks of Nadal and Federer as four-time finalists.

The two-time champion brought an end to Blockx’s dream run, after he defeated three top-20 players including defending champion Casper Ruud to make his first Masters semi-final.

On the prospect of facing Sinner again, Zverev said: “I think tennis is very easy for him right now, the way he is playing. Maybe on Sunday I will make it a bit more difficult for him.

“The last eight times I didn’t win much. He is the best player in the world for sure and I will try to give him a tough battle.”