PARIS (AP) — Jannik Sinner reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in men's tennis after beating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the Paris Masters final on Sunday.
The four-time Grand Slam champion from Italy
replaced six-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz at the top as he extended his indoor winning streak to 26 matches, following up victory in Vienna last Sunday with his first Paris title.
The ninth-seeded Auger-Aliassime needed to win the tournament at La Défense Arena to clinch the eighth and final spot for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
“It’s huge, honestly. It was such an intense final here and we both knew what’s on the line," Sinner said. “For him it’s a very tough and difficult spot but from my side I’m extremely happy.”
Sinner beat Auger-Aliassime for the third straight time — including in the semifinals at this year’s U.S. Open — and now leads the Canadian 3-2 in head-to-heads.
“He was serving extremely well,” Sinner said. "You have to use your small chances well.”
Auger-Aliassime is one of the most consistent players indoors but overall he was unable to trouble Sinner in a one-sided contest which saw Sinner at his clinical best as he won his fifth title of the year and 23rd of his career.
Sinner won on his first match point with a crisp two-handed backhand down the line, tilted his head back and raised his arms. He then patted his heart as he waved his racket to the crowd.
“The past couple of months have been amazing. We tried to work on things, tying to improve as a player and seeing this kind of result makes me extremely happy,” Sinner said. “It has been an amazing year no matter what comes in Turin.”
Auger-Aliassime, who has won titles this year in Adelaide, Montpellier and Brussels, received a time violation warning from chair umpire Nacho Forcadell when serving at 30-30 in the ninth game of the second set. ___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
