Jannik Sinner in the final at the Foro Italico. Medvedev defeated

The second set opened with a wide smash by Medvedev that seemed the prelude to surrender, but point by point the Russian regained his balance.

In the second game he then got a break point at 30-40 and realised it again thanks to a Sinner error called at the net.

Great applause immediately rained down from the stands at the Foro Italico to hearten the Italian. When play resumed, on Medvedev's serve, Sinner came up with a short ball of rare delicacy.

Medvedev, however, started to respond blow by blow, finding himself ahead in the score even by 3-0.

At the change of court Sinner appeared a little tried from the great efforts of these months. He tried to react, but his serve did not support him as it had in the first set and he found himself conceding another break point, saving it with a first finally up to his class. A further break point was cancelled, again with a volley-sweep combination. In fact, in the volley Sinner alternated errors with splendid strokes that allowed him to win the game of 1 to 3.

Sinner had to call on all his talent to overcome even an obvious physical slump in what turned into a real battle of full volleys. Medvedev defended with lifted and powerful strokes, but the Italian eventually prevailed, celebrating the 2:3 break by showing his fist to the crowd. The Foro Italico began to breathe again after a few minutes in which it held its breath with its favourite. The number one in the world of tennis caught Medvedev by levelling at 3:3 and then 4:4, with a series of serves above 200 km/h.

Medvedev tried to take advantage of the Italian's physical sluggishness by serving more short balls than usual and went up 5-4. Sinner on serve often tried to soak up almost all the 30 seconds available to concentrate on the athletic gesture, which in fact yielded with an ace yet another tie at 5-5, after twice committing a double fault in the game. Countered by Medvedev who committed as many in an 11th game that then slipped away quickly to his advantage.

Sinner went on to serve to extend the second set to the tie-break, reacting with an ace and then a long forehand to the initial 0-30. However, he ended up conceding three set points. On the first set point he forced the Russian into an error. On the second set point he cancelled it with an ace, but on the third he had to concede and lost the set 5-7.

The third set began with great concern in the Foro Italico about Sinner's form. Medvedev began to frighten the 10,000-plus spectators, but in the third game Sinner hit a couple of shots of his own for the break that restored the enthusiasm of all present.

The Russian, in turn, began to show signs of nervousness by throwing away a stationary ball, making the Italian fans nervous. They were repaid by a pinpoint short ball from Sinner that paved the way to 3-1, consolidating the break with a counter-attack at the edge of the net in response to another short ball from the Russian.

In the next game, the Italian then had a break point cancelled with an ace and went down in the advantages.

Sinner called for the physiotherapist's intervention, restarting with authority and sealing the 4-2 lead. But in the seventh game on Medvedev's advantage came the rain. The match was suspended, at Sinner's insistence, and then finally postponed to Saturday at 3pm