Sinner to renew rivalry with Alcaraz in Italian Open final

ROME (AP) — Jannik Sinner has gone all the way to the final in his first tournament back from a three-month doping ban.

And Carlos Alcaraz is waiting for him in the Italian Open title match.

“Normally when we play each other the level is very high, because we push each other to do things we don’t normally do,” Sinner said. ”I’m curious to see what level I’m at.”

The top-ranked Sinner rallied past No. 12 Tommy Paul 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 in the semifinals on Friday as he attempts to become the first Italian man to lift the Rome trophy since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

Earlier, Alcaraz advanced to his first Rome final by beating Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-6 (4).

Sunday’s final will mark the first meeting between Sinner and Alcaraz since October, when Alcaraz won the China Open final in a third-set tiebreaker. Alcaraz holds a 6-4 edge in their career meetings and has won three straight against his biggest rival.

But Sinner has not lost since that defeat to Alcaraz in Beijing and is on a 26-match winning streak. He’s playing his first tournament since he won his third Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January.

“He’s playing great. I’ve been watching his matches,” Alcaraz said. “His level is really high right now. Every time that I play against him is always a battle, always really, really tough. I kind of enjoy (those) moments.”

Sinner cranked up his level to near perfection in a rout of Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Against Paul, Sinner made unforced errors in the first set while his American opponent hit shot after shot on the lines. But Sinner quickly turned the match around.

Sinner said cooler, heavier conditions made it more challenging and that getting broken in his first service game was a “punch in my face."

“But I tried to stay there mentally, trying to understand what might work a little bit better,” Sinner said. “Tennis can change quickly.”

Toward the end of the match, Sinner appeared to be grimacing at times and clutching his thighs.

“Since the third round I have a small blister under my feet which doesn’t allow me that well to move in some moments,” he said. “Leg-wise I’m not concerned, it’s just a bit tight.

“There are no excuses. With the adrenaline there is just going to be a lot of energy on Sunday. I’m 100% not concerned.”

Sinner is the first Italian man in the Rome final since 1978 when Panatta lost to Bjorn Borg, and Alcaraz noted that playing Sinner before his home crowd will be “even more challenging.”

Sinner's fans have been out in full force for all of his matches, many of them wearing wigs and hats in orange — his theme color. One fan held aloft a sign during the semifinal that translated from Italian to, “Sinner, we missed you.”

In February, Sinner agreed to a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency that raised questions, since the three-month suspension conveniently allowed him not to miss any Grand Slams and come back at his home tournament.

Rome is the last big warmup before the French Open starts on May 25.

It’s the third final in three clay-court events this season for Alcaraz, who won the Monte Carlo Masters and finished runner-up in the Barcelona Open. He withdrew from the Madrid Open because of injury.

The third-ranked Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid tournament with an upper right leg issue and also had a left leg injury. In Rome, he has been wearing a long black brace covering the upper portion of his right leg stretching down to just below his knee.

Musetti took the first set off Alcaraz in the Monte Carlo final but Alcaraz broke the Italian’s serve in the first game of the rematch to silence the pro-Musetti crowd on Campo Centrale. Musetti didn’t help himself with unforced errors and began pushing Alcaraz only at the end of the set.

Musetti was docked a point for misbehavior late in the second set after receiving a warning earlier for breaking his racket.

On a windy day at the Foro Italico, Alcaraz said it wasn’t about playing “brilliant,” but rather “smart tennis” was required.

“Waiting for your chances to play aggressive, so I think I did it pretty well,” Alcaraz said. “I stayed strong mentally when things didn’t went to my side.”

Alcaraz is playing the Italian Open for the second time. During his Rome debut last year, he lost to then-135th-ranked Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the third round.

The women’s final on Saturday features Coco Gauff against Jasmine Paolini.

Paolini and partner Sara Errani also advanced to the women’s doubles final when they beat Russian pair Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider 6-4, 6-4 in a rematch of last year’s Olympic final also won by the Italians.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning the semifinal tennis match against Tommy Paul, of the United States, at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Jannik Sinner fans wait for the start of the semifinal tennis match against Tommy Paul, of the United States, at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Italy's Jannik Sinner stands on the court during his semifinal tennis match against Tommy Paul, of the United States, at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after winning the semifinal tennis match against taly's Lorenzo Musetti at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns the ball to Italy's Lorenzo Musetti during their semifinal tennis match at the Italian Open, at the Foro Italico, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Italy's Lorenzo Musetti returns the ball to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their semifinal tennis match at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz walks on the court during the semifinal tennis match against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Italy's Lorenzo Musetti returns the ball to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their semifinal tennis match at the Italian Open, at the Foro Italico, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns the ball to Italy's Lorenzo Musetti during their semifinal tennis match at the Italian Open, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz returns the ball to Italy's Lorenzo Musetti during their semifinal tennis match at the Italian Open, at the Foro Italico, in Rome, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are leaping, and stocks are falling Friday on worries that Israel’s attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets could escalate further and damage the flow of crude around the world, along with the global economy.

The S&P 500 dropped 1% and was on track to more than erase its modest gain from earlier in the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 674 points, or 1.6%, as of 10:45 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.1% lower.

The strongest action was in the oil market, where the price of a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude jumped 6.8% to $72.65. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 7.1% to $74.30 for a barrel.

Iran is one of the world’s major producers of oil, though sanctions by Western countries have limited its sales. If a wider war erupts, it could slow the flow of Iran’s oil to its customers and keep the price of crude and gasoline higher for everyone worldwide.

Beyond the oil coming from Iran, analysts also pointed to the potential for disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a relatively narrow waterway off Iran's coast. Much of the world's oil moves through it on ships.

But past attacks involving Iran and Israel have seen prices for oil spike initially, only to fall later “once it became clear that the situation was not escalating and there was no impact on oil supply,” according to Richard Joswick, head of near-term oil at S&P Global Commodity Insights.

That has Wall Street waiting to see what will come next. For now, the price of oil has jumped, but it's still lower than it was earlier this year. “This is an economic shock that nobody really needs, but it is one that seems more like a shock to sentiment than to the fundamentals of the economy,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management.

That in turn had U.S. stocks falling to give back some of their big recent gains that had brought them to the brink of their record.

Companies that use a lot of fuel as part of their business and need their customers feeling confident enough to travel fell to some of the sharpest losses. Cruise operator Carnival dropped 5.4%. United Airlines sank 4.2%, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings fell 4.2%.

They helped overshadow gains for U.S. oil producers and other companies that could benefit from increased fighting between Israel and Iran.

Exxon Mobil rose 1.5%, and ConocoPhillips gained 1.9% because the leaping price of crude portends bigger profits for them.

Contractors that make weapons and defense equipment also rallied. Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman both rose at least 3%.

The price of gold climbed as investors searched for safer places to park their cash. An ounce of gold added 1.5% to $3,454.40.

Often, prices for Treasury bonds will likewise rise when investors are feeling nervous. That’s because U.S. government bonds have historically been seen as some of the safest options around. But Treasury prices fell Friday, which in turn pushed up their yields, in part because of worries that a spike in oil prices could drive inflation higher.

Inflation has remained relatively tame recently, and it’s near the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%, but worries are high that it could be set to accelerate because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

That sent the yield on the 10-year Treasury up to 4.41% from 4.36% late Thursday. Higher yields can tug down on prices for stocks and other investments, while making it more expensive for U.S. companies and households to borrow money, which can slow the economy.

A report suggesting an unexpectedly large increase in sentiment among U.S. consumers also helped push yields higher. The preliminary report from the University of Michigan said sentiment improved for the first time in six months after Trump put many of his tariffs on pause, while U.S. consumers' expectations for coming inflation eased.

On Wall Street, Adobe fell 6.1% even though the company behind Photoshop reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than Wall Street expected. Analysts called it a solid performance but said investors may have been looking for bigger increases to some of its revenue forecasts for the upcoming year.

Shares of Brazilian meat giant JBS fell 2.6% as they made their debut on the New York Stock Exchange. The company wants to increase access to its shares among global investors, despite criticism from environmental groups, U.S. lawmakers and others who noted JBS’ record of corruption, monopolistic behavior and environmental destruction.

In stock markets abroad, indexes slumped across Europe and Asia. France’s CAC 40 lost 1.2%, and Germany’s DAX dropped 1.4% for two of the larger losses.

McHugh reported from Frankfurt, Germany, and Junzhe reported from Hong Kong. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Dee-Ann Durbin contributed.

Trader Steven Gohl works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, right, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Specialist Glenn Carell works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)