Darren Cahill is already intrigued by the budding rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who faced each other in a blockbuster semifinal at this year's Indian Wells Open.
In their eighth career meeting on the ATP Tour, Alcaraz defeated the new Australian Open champion in three sets. The match was halted for nearly three hours due to bad weather, but the quality of both men did not diminish upon resumption.
In the first set, Sinner showed why many onlookers consider him the current best player in the world, having built a 16-match winning streak this year. But in the second set, Alcaraz's resilience took over, with the Spaniard showcasing his full repertoire in front of a cheerful crowd.
Alcaraz's ferocious power won the day and has now leveled the head-to-head record at 4-4. He will get a chance to defend his crown on Sunday against Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Tommy Paul in three sets in the second semifinal.
Speaking to Sky Sports before the match, Sinner's coach, Darren Cahill, lavished praise on both young men, who are ranked 2nd and 3rd in the rankings and determined to chart their names in tennis folklore.
Competition breeds rivalry, and the Australian is predicting that their Indian Wells clash was just an appetizer. He reckons they will face each other "many times" in the next ten years.
"This is why you train. This is why you play to see two young kids, two great young kids actually not just on the court but certainly off the court as well, and their friendship is real. They both respect each other and like each other, and you'll see that on the court tomorrow regardless of who wins."
"I think these two young men are going to play each other many, many times over the next 10 years, and this is just another part of their rivalry. I'm looking forward to it."
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