Sinner, Djokovic on a collision course at Roland Garros

CENTRE COURT

- DEBORAH CURTIS-SETCHELL

ITALIAN tennis is dripping in laurel wreaths, with Jasmine Poalini soaring up the WTA rankings to No 4 after her first clay-court singles title, made more triumphant having been procured in Rome.

But World No 1 Jannik Sinner will be less euphoric about his emphatic defeat in the same arena to World No 2 Carlos Alcaraz.

This is now as much an established rivalry as the latter's Herculean clashes with GOAT Novak Djokovic, who is also currently licking his wounds after an opening-round exit in Rome to yet another Italian, Matteo Arnaldi.

Sinner will be hell-bent on lifting his first French Open trophy with the Roland Garros Grand Slam starting tomorrow - where he finds himself in the same side of the draw as Djokovic, whom he is destined to meet in the semis.

The Serb and Italian are lying neck and neck in their head-to-heads, and fortunately for Sinner, Djokovic is seeded to face former finalist Alexander Zverev, in the quarters, which may eradicate the threat.