Reuters
Italy's Jannik Sinner. [Photo Credit: Reuters]
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to reclaim the world number one ranking with a ruthless 6-0 6-1 win over German third seed Alexander Zverev on Saturday, advancing to the Paris Masters final where he will face Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Sinner’s path to the top of the ATP rankings was opened up after six-times Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock defeat to unseeded Briton Cameron Norrie in the round of 32 on Tuesday.
A victory for the 24-year-old Italian in Sunday’s showdown would see him leapfrog the Spaniard. The battle for the year-end world number one ranking will ultimately be determined at the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin from November 9.
Sinner’s win against Zverev saw him extend his remarkable streak of indoor hardcourt victories to 25 matches.
The four-times major winner, seeded second in Paris, came out firing from the start, breaking Zverev in the opening game and asserting his authority as he coolly dished out a bagel in 30 minutes.
He struck 11 winners in the opener, while Zverev, who appeared to be feeling the effects of his gruelling 2-6 6-3 7-6(5) quarter-final victory over Daniil Medvedev, managed just one.
Zverev finally held his serve in the first game of the second set. However, the 28-year-old had little left in the tank as Sinner closed out the match in just over an hour, booking his first-ever Paris Masters final.
Sinner’s victory also gave him a narrow 5-4 edge in their head-to-head record, having defeated Zverev in the Vienna Open final last week and the Australian Open final in January.
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