Photo credit: Rolex Paris Masters Facebook
Impossible is inspiring for Jannik Sinner.
Wimbledon winner Sinner launched his Rolex Paris Masters declaring it’s “impossible” for him to surpass Carlos Alcaraz as year-end No. 1.
Today, Sinner played first-rate dynamic tennis defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6(4) to capture his maiden Rolex Paris Masters crown and regain the world No. 1 ranking.
A decisive Sinner set the tone with superb serving. Sinner served 72 percent, won 40 of 44 first-serve points and did not face a break point collecting his fifth title in 11 tournaments this season.
A streaking Sinner scored his 26th consecutive indoor hard-court victory—that’s the sixth longest streak in Open Era history—and claimed his fifth career ATP Masters 1000 crown.
The ninth-seeded Auger-Aliassime played a strong match, but could not trouble Sinner’s serve apart from the 10th game of the second set. Auger-Aliassime, who could have sewn up the eighth spot for the season-ending final in Turin, is entered in Metz next week and is still in control of his destiny ahead of Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the final spot for Turin. Ultimately, both men could make it if Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic, who is playing Athens next week, opts to skip the season-ending event he has dominated in his career.
Returning to the City of Light six months after he failed to convert three championship points suffering a gut-wrenching 4–6, 6–7(4), 6–4, 7–6 (3), 7–6(10–2) loss to Alcaraz in an astounding and epic Roland Garros final, Sinner had the last word supplanting the Spaniard at the top of tennis.
Granted, Sinner’s triumph does not mean he will clinch the coveted year-end No. 1—he must run the table and successfully defend his ATP Finals crown in Turin later this month to even have a shot of finishing as year-end No. 1—but it solidifies his status as the premier indoor player in the world.
Consider, Sinner, coming off the Vienna title last week, did not drop a set in tournament wins over Zizou Bergs, Francisco Cerundolo, Ben Shelton, Alexander Zverev and Auger-Aliassime winning his 23rd Tour-level title and improving to 53-6 on the season. In contrast, Alcaraz, playing one of his sloppiest matches of the season, fell to Cameron Norrie in his opener.
The 24-year-old Italian has also displayed more variety in back-to-back title runs in Vienna and Paris deploying the drop shot, playing shorter sharper angles, and producing some positive defensive sequences in today’s final.
In his 6-0, 6-1 demolition of defending champion Alexander Zverev yesterday, Sinner broke down the German’s forehand wing.
In today’s final, Sinner came out attacking Auger-Aliassime’s weaker backhand wing. It’s not that the Canadian’s backhand is a suspect shot, it’s that Auger-Aliassime hits that stroke fairly flat therefore he can’t create the sharp angles Sinner can conjure with pace.
Another issue with Auger-Aliassime’s backhand is when stretched he tends to play the flatter, riskier driver rather than try to loft a higher loopier backhand to give himself time to recover to the center of the court. Sinner knows that and made him pay.
Sinner slashed a diagonal forehand for 4-2 then came right back cracking the same shot to nearly the same spot leaving the Canadian grunting in vain to earn championship points at 6-4.
On the 11th shot of the rally, Sinner stepped in and slammed a backhand winner down the line closing his fifth title of the year in one hour, 52 minutes.