Jannik Sinner maintained his bid to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking with a commanding 7-5, 6-1 victory over Argentina’s Francisco Cerúndolo on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters. The Italian, who has yet to drop a set this week, reached the quarter-finals in the French capital for the first time and extended his indoor winning streak to 23 matches.
Jannik Sinner Marches Ahead
Sinner, 24, struck 12 winners to just two unforced errors in a composed opening set before racing through the second to seal the win in 86 minutes. Though he appeared to move cautiously at times, flexing his right leg between points, the world No. 2 never called for a medical timeout and said he felt “much better” by the end of the match.
“Hopefully I can recover physically, which is my main priority,” Sinner said. “Today was a great match and a great performance from my side.”
The victory keeps Sinner within reach of returning to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings following Carlos Alcaraz’s early exit to Britain’s Cameron Norrie. The Italian must win his maiden Paris Masters title to reclaim the top spot.
Next up for Sinner is fifth seed Ben Shelton, who continued his breakout season by defeating Andrey Rublev 7-6 (6), 6-3 to secure his debut appearance at the ATP Finals in Turin. Sinner holds a 6-1 record against the 23-year-old American, including six consecutive straight-set wins since losing their first encounter in Shanghai two years ago.
Also Read: How Jannik Sinner Can Reclaim World No. 1 Spot From Carlos Alcaraz
Elsewhere, defending champion Alexander Zverev booked his place in the last eight with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. The German will face Daniil Medvedev, who rallied past Lorenzo Sonego 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 to stay in the hunt for a Turin berth. Medvedev leads their rivalry 14–7 and has won the past five meetings.
The tournament’s surprise story, Valentin Vacherot of Monaco, continued his dream run by beating Cameron Norrie 7-6 (4), 6-4. The Shanghai champion will meet Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime, who overcame Daniel Altmaier 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to remain in contention for the season-ending Finals.
In other results, Alexander Bublik toppled fourth seed Taylor Fritz 7-6 (5), 6-2, setting up a quarter-final against Alex de Minaur, who breezed past Karen Khachanov 6-2, 6-2 to clinch his second consecutive ATP Finals qualification.
