Sinner Moves Closer to Reclaiming World No. 1 After Paris Masters Win
Jannik Sinner took another major step toward reclaiming the world number one ranking after a commanding victory over Ben Shelton in the Paris Masters quarter-finals.
The Italian, currently ranked world number two, capitalized on Carlos Alcaraz’s surprise second-round exit to Cameron Norrie, knowing that lifting the trophy in the French capital would see him overtake the Spaniard at the top of the ATP rankings.
Sinner produced a composed performance to defeat Shelton 6-3, 6-3 — his seventh straight win over the 23-year-old American — and book his first-ever semi-final appearance in Paris.
“It was a very, very tough match,” Sinner told Sky Sports. “At times you don’t have much control because of his incredible serve, but today I felt I returned really well and stayed solid and aggressive from the baseline.”
Although Sinner briefly dropped serve in the second set, he quickly regained control to seal the win in just 70 minutes.
“At the moment I’m not thinking about the ranking,” said the reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion. “It’s a consequence of how I’m playing. Making the semis here means a lot — it’s been a long season with great results, and I never take any of it for granted.”
Next up for Sinner is third seed Alexander Zverev, who saved two match points before battling past Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) in a gripping quarter-final.
In the other half of the draw, Alexander Bublik reached his first Masters 1000 semi-final with a 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-5 win over sixth seed Alex de Minaur. The Kazakh will face Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who cruised past Shanghai champion Valentin Vacherot 6-2, 6-2.
With just two wins separating him from both the Paris title and a return to the top of men’s tennis, Sinner’s surge continues to gather unstoppable momentum.
