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Jannik Sinner stormed into the semifinals of the 2021 Citi Open on Friday with a commanding 6-4, 6-2 win over American Steve Johnson. Sinner will next face fellow rising star Jenson Brooksby, who accounted for John Millman in their last-eight encounter.
Brooksby, 20, has been on a roll in recent weeks. The American made the Hall of Fame Open final and has followed it up with a magnificent run at the Citi Open.
The American youngster has received plaudits from a number of tennis players and experts who have likened him to Daniil Medvedev and Novak Djokovic for his unpredictable yet disciplined style of play.
When asked to give his thoughts on Brooksby, Sinner admitted the American is a "tricky player" who is high on confidence after his recent performances.
"I think he's a very tricky player," Jannik Sinner said during his post-match press conference. "He is maybe in the best moment of his young, young career, you know, playing the best tennis. He is, yeah, high in confidence."
The 20-year-old Brooksby has beaten Frances Tiafoe, Kevin Anderson, and second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime to make it to the last four in Washington. Interestingly, Anderson was the player who defeated him in the Hall of Fame Open final.
Sinner highlighted these facts during his press conference and reiterated that the American is a very challenging opponent to face. The Italian claimed he is not well-versed with Brooksby's playing style, as he has never practiced with him before.
Sinner said he was expecting a physical contest against the American, who has tremendous defensive abilities.
"He beat very, very great players over the week here," Sinner said. "He had already one final on grass. He lost against Anderson. But, you know, he is very tricky player. I don't know exactly how he plays. We never practiced together. We didn't speak so much. I mean, just "hi" and "how are you" around the locker room."
"Yeah, I think it's going to be a very interesting match, a very tough match," Sinner added. "He puts a lot of balls in the court. It's very, maybe it's going to be physical. But, you know, I see tomorrow how it goes, and then hopefully it's going to be a great match."
I think doubles helps me a lot: Jannik Sinner
In addition to his singles duties, Jannik Sinner has also been involved in doubles action in recent weeks. He partnered with Reilly Opelka last week to great effect, winning the Atlanta Open. The Italian has teamed up with Sebastian Korda this week and the pair are into the semifinals of the Citi Open at the time of writing.
Sinner came into the Citi Open on the back of four straight defeats, but he appears to have found his best form in Washington. The 19-year-old pointed out that regaining his confidence was important and that his semifinal run in Washington has helped him in that regard.
Sinner also said playing doubles helped him improve certain aspects of his game. He also claimed that interacting with Opelka and Korda while playing doubles helped boost his morale.
"You know, we were always working hard, you know, trying to get my confidence a little bit back," Sinner said. "Now, you know, winning three matches for me was important, you know, especially for the next tournaments, having some match practice, singles and doubles, which I think doubles helps me, helps me a lot, helps me at the net and on serve and return."
"So, obviously thanks to, yeah, Sebastian Korda that we have the chance to play together, like last week with Reilly Opelka," he added. "It's nice to have some other kind of conversation with other players. You know, getting a little bit of confidence with everyone, and, yeah, I think, yeah, it's very nice."
