Sinner reclaims No. 1 ranking after beating Auger-Aliassime in Paris Masters final
PARIS (AP) — Jannik Sinner reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis after defeating 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 his victory in Vienna last Sunday, Sinner claimed his first Paris title.
The ninth-seeded Auger-Aliassime needed to win the tournament at La Défense Arena to secure the eighth and final spot for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. However, Sinner did not concede a single break point opportunity during the match and won the tournament without dropping a set.
“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.”
This marks Sinner’s third straight win over Auger-Aliassime, including their meeting in the semifinals of this year’s U.S. Open. Sinner now leads the Canadian 3-2 in their head-to-head record.
“He was serving extremely well,” Sinner noted. “You have to use your small chances well.”
Auger-Aliassime is known for his consistency on indoor courts, but he was unable to challenge Sinner in a one-sided contest. Sinner was at his clinical best, capturing his fifth title of the year and the 23rd of his career.
Sinner sealed the match on his first match point with a crisp two-handed backhand down the line. He then tilted his head back, raised his arms, patted his heart, and waved his racket to the crowd in celebration.
“The past couple of months have been amazing. We tried to work on things, trying 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.”
Although Auger-Aliassime served more aces — eight compared to Sinner’s six — the Italian won 91% of his first-serve points, outperforming the Canadian’s 81%.
Auger-Aliassime, who has taken titles this year in Adelaide, Montpellier, and Brussels, received a time violation warning from chair umpire Nacho Forcadell while serving at 30-30 in the ninth game of the second set.
At the changeover, Auger-Aliassime stood and questioned Forcadell, who said he should have been ready to serve. The Canadian disagreed, explaining, “I was ready to receive the balls, I didn’t have the balls (from the ball kids). If I don’t have the balls, how can I get ready to serve? I didn’t have one ball in my hand.”
Auger-Aliassime then sat down and muttered to Forcadell: “You’re not serious. You’re really not serious, you’re really, really not serious.”
Sinner served out the first set, clinching it with a whipped forehand winner at the net after Auger-Aliassime’s drop shot sat up invitingly.
There was a brief glimpse of hope for Auger-Aliassime when he led 5-4 and took Sinner to deuce on his serve in the 10th game, but an unforced error—a loose forehand long—let the Italian off the hook.
Sinner followed with a love hold, featuring an exquisite drop shot followed by a clinical lob.
After the defeat, Auger-Aliassime sat on his chair for several moments with his head bowed.
The Canadian still has a chance to qualify for Turin and is vying with Italian Lorenzo Musetti for the final spot. Both players will be in action at ATP 250 tournaments, with Musetti competing in Athens and Auger-Aliassime as the top seed in Metz, France.
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