Jannik Sinner continued his quest to return to the top of the ATP rankings with a 6-3 6-3 win over Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters.
Sinner looked tired but came through in straight sets to reach the last four in Paris for the first time and will play either Daniil Medvedev or Alexander Zverev on Saturday.
Carlos Alcaraz’s surprise loss to Britain’s Cameron Norrie has given Sinner the opportunity to advance to the season-ending ATP Finals, live from Turin from November 9-16. sky sports tennis.
“I don’t think about rankings. It’s all a result of how I play,” Sinner said.
“We take it day by day. Every day we face difficult challenges. Today was a difficult day, so I’m glad we got through it.
“Whatever happens comes out. It’s been a long season with good results and I don’t take it for granted. I’m happy where I am and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
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Carlos Alcaraz and his coach, former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, have a heated exchange during his loss to Britain’s Cameron Norrie at the Paris Masters.
Sinner bowed several times early in the match against Shelton, but couldn’t stop his breakthrough with a superb ball strike in Game 5.
The Italian broke again after 34 minutes to clinch the opening set, dropping just one point on his own serve, and maintained his advantage into the start of the next set with an early break.
However, Shelton showed some fight as they came back to make it 3-3, but any hopes of a great comeback were short-lived as Sinner won the next three games to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
Jannik Sinner beat Ben Shelton seven times in a row.
“I’m very happy, it was a tough game,” said Sinner.
“At times he lacked control because of his incredible serve, but he came back well and was solid and aggressive at the back of the court, so I was very happy with the game.
“It’s a physical battle tomorrow, so let’s see how I feel.”
Vacherot’s impressive run comes to an end
Felix Auger-Aliassime impressed Valentin Vacherot in his 6-2 6-2 quarter-final win at the Paris Masters.
Vacherot had won his previous 10 Masters matches (highlighted by defeating his cousin Arthur Rinderknech to win his first title in Shanghai earlier this month) and Auger-Aliassime proved too strong for the Monegasque as he advanced to his fourth Masters semi-final.
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Highlights from Felix Auger-Aliassime against Valentin Vacherot at the Paris Masters
Auger-Aliassime, who has reached 10 tour-level semifinals this season and won titles in Adelaide, Montpellier and Brussels, is hoping to at least reach the final and qualify for the season-ending ATP Finals.
The 25-year-old will face Alexander Bublik in the first semi-final on Saturday after the unpredictable Kazakh fighter came back to beat Australia’s Alex de Minaur 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 7-5.
Watch the Paris Masters and the start of the WTA Tour finals this weekend, live on Sky Sports or streaming with NOW and the Sky Sports app, giving Sky Sports customers access to over 50% more live sport at no additional cost this year. Find out more here.
