Jannik Sinner Gains In Top-Spot Race With Rout Of Alexander Zverev

Jannik Sinner is one win away from reclaiming the world number one ranking after a commanding 6-0, 6-1 victory over Alexander Zverev in the Paris Masters semi-finals on Saturday. He will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final.

The Italian swiftly dispatched the defending champion Zverev at La Defence Arena in just 61 minutes. A win over Auger-Aliassime on Sunday will see Sinner replace rival Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the rankings.

Canada’s Auger-Aliassime reached his second Masters 1000 final by defeating the in-form Kazakh Alexander Bublik in the first semi-final.

Sinner and Auger-Aliassime have split their four previous encounters, with Sinner winning the last two, including this year’s US Open semi-finals.

“It’s always good to play him,”

Auger-Aliassime said about Sinner. “I feel like he pushes players to be very disciplined tactically and to execute their game almost perfectly to win.”

Sinner, a four-time Grand Slam champion, is currently on a 25-match winning streak on indoor hard courts. He is aiming for his fifth title of the season after winning the Vienna Open last weekend, adding to his Australian Open, Wimbledon and China Open victories earlier in the year.

Third seed Zverev struggled from the start on Saturday, with numerous forehand errors. Sinner took a double-break and a 3-0 lead in just 15 minutes, finishing the set with an ace.

It was the first time Zverev had lost a set to love since the 2023 French Open semi-finals against Casper Ruud. He showed some resilience at the start of the second set but Sinner broke again in the third game. Zverev called for the trainer but the match was already slipping away.

Sinner completed the demolition when Zverev hit another shot into the net.

Ninth seed Auger-Aliassime secured a 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 victory as Bublik faltered after leading 4-1 in the second set of his first Masters 1000 semi-final.

“It’s a pleasure. All Masters 1000 finals are a dream, especially in Paris, a tournament with so much history and important past champions,” said Auger-Aliassime.

Auger-Aliassime moves above Lorenzo Musetti into the eighth and final qualifying spot for the ATP Finals in Turin later this month. He can secure his second appearance in the tournament with a victory on Sunday.

Auger-Aliassime narrowly missed winning a Masters title at the 2024 Madrid Open against Andrey Rublev.

Bublik, who reached the French Open quarter-finals in Paris earlier this year, can no longer qualify for the Finals despite a stellar year with four ATP titles.

The first set was tightly contested without any break points until two weak forehands from Bublik allowed Auger-Aliassime to win the tie-break.

The match intensified early in the second set when Bublik took a 2-0 lead only to lose the break immediately. Frustrated, he smashed his racquet, earning a code violation. Auger-Aliassime even helped clear the court of racquet debris with a towel.

Despite receiving a gift from Auger-Aliassime, who missed a simple volley and fell behind 3-1, Bublik could not maintain his momentum.

Auger-Aliassime won five consecutive games against an increasingly despondent Bublik, finishing the match with a powerful cross-court forehand.

(With Inputs From Agencies)