Imperious Sinner triumphs in Paris to regain world number one ranking

Jannik Sinner reclaimed Carlos Alcaraz’ world number one spot after defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in his first Paris Masters competition.

Sinner’s winning streak on indoor hard courts, which dates back to the 2023 Davis Cup Finals, was extended by winning 6-4 7-6 (7-4) against the Canadian.

Before the ATP Finals, which officially kick off on November 9th, the Italian placed 250 points ahead of Alcaraz in the rankings.

Sinner’s victory puts an end to his rivalry with Alcaraz, which has reached stratospheric heights, ensuring that the year-end world number one ranking will move on to the final tournament of the season.

The pair’s success continues with their differing standing on the men’s tour, where they have won the last eight Grand Slam competitions.

The gap between Alcaraz and Zverev, who are second, and third-placed German, (5, 560), is such that they are so dominant that they are superior.

Four-time major champion Sinner remarked, “We both knew what was on the line,” adding that the final was “so intense and we both knew what was going to happen.”

“I’m very happy from my side,” I said. We’ve tried to work on some things, and I’m very happy to see this sort of outcome.

Alcaraz’s 65-week reign as world number one ended with Sinner losing to the Spaniard in the US Open final in September.

He won the Paris title by conceding the fewest games since the event switched to hard courts in 2007 and reclaimed the top spot in style.

The Australian Open and Wimbledon champion was completely untroubled in his quest to win the first set despite only allowing three points in his five service matches.

Sinner was dominant in the rallies, scoring 17 of his first 25 points from the start, and he won 93% of the points on his first serve in the opener.

Auger-Aliassime raised his game, securing numerous break points in the second set before falling 4-3, but Sinner continued to fend off his opponent with opportunities.

Sinner broke through the set to take the first deuce of his career, but the players held out for a tie-break, and despite briefly displaying physical weakness, the pair eventually came out and levelled at 5-5.

Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool lost to Briton Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara in the doubles final, winning 6-3, 6-4, to jointly claim their first ATP Masters 1000 title.

We are two very happy, happy boys, Patten said after winning the first five meetings this season against Cash and Glasspool. The best pair in the world right now is Julian and Lloyd.

Alfie Hewett also won the first wheelchair men’s singles title in Paris after defeating fellow Briton Gordon Reid 7-5, 7-4, and 6-0.