Jannik Sinner routed a weary-looking Alexander Zverev 6-0, 6-1 in a little more than an hour on Saturday to reach the Paris Masters final and move closer to reclaiming the No. 1 ranking.
The four-time Grand Slam champion from Italy will replace six-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz at the top if he wins Sunday’s final against ninth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, who needs a win to clinch the eighth and final spot for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
Auger-Aliassime earlier beat Alexander Bublik 7-6[3], 6-4 in their semifinal at La Défense Arena.
Sinner extended his indoor winning streak to 25 matches, including a victory over Zverev in the Vienna final last weekend. He beat Zverev — the defending champion in Paris — for the fourth straight time to lead 5-4 in their career meetings.
Germany’s Alexander Zverev waves after losing to Sinner.
| Photo Credit:
AP
Germany’s Alexander Zverev waves after losing to Sinner.
| Photo Credit:
AP
The second-seeded Sinner was 5-0 up in 25 minutes and then served out a first set in which he won 90 per cent of his first-serve points, compared to only 47 per cent for Zverev. He had five break points on Zverev’s serve, converting two of them.
In the second set, Sinner broke Zverev for a 2-1 lead. The third-seeded German looked drained and stood with his hands on his knees after that game.
Zverev had saved two match points to beat Daniil Medvedev in three sets in their gritty quarterfinal on Friday to end a five-match losing streak against the Russian.
Sinner will bid for his fifth title of the year and 23rd of his career on Sunday; Auger-Aliassime goes for his fourth of the season and ninth overall.
They are 2-2 in head-to-heads, with Sinner winning the past two — including in the semfinals at this year’s U.S. Open.
Published on Nov 02, 2025