Sinner beats Shelton to reach Paris semi-finals
Jannik Sinner moves a step closer to regaining world number one status with victory over Ben Shelton at the Paris Masters, while there are also wins for Alexander Bublik and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Jannik Sinner moves a step closer to regaining world number one status with victory over Ben Shelton at the Paris Masters, while there are also wins for Alexander Bublik and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Jannik Sinner powered past Ben Shelton on Friday at the Rolex Paris Masters to reach the semi-finals of the French ATP Masters 1000 event for the first time and continue his push to return to World No. 1.
The second seed delivered a statement in his 400th tour-level match, ousting the American 6-3, 6-3 to extend his indoor winning streak to 24, dating back to November 2023. Should Sinner claim his fifth trophy this season — and first ATP Masters 1000 title of 2025 — he would return to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday.
“It was a very tough match. At times against Ben you don’t have a lot of control because of his incredible serving, but today I felt like I was returning very well,” said Sinner, who won 71 per cent of his second-serve return points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “Also from the back of the court, I played very solid and also very aggressive, so I’m very happy about today’s match.”
[ATP AWARDS]Sinner did not commit a single unforced error off his reliable two-handed backhand and finished with just 10 on his forehand. The Italian was aggressive on second-serve returns and showcased lightning-fast reflexes against Shelton’s hefty delivery.
After earning triple set point at 5-3 in the opener, Sinner converted his second opportunity when he leapt aside to evade Shelton’s booming body serve before running down a backhand and drilling the ball into the open court to close out the 34-minute set.
Sinner wavered briefly at 3-1 in the second set when he was broken to love, with Shelton sealing the game with a banana-curling forehand pass. But Sinner quickly regrouped to race towards a 69-minute victory. Shelton’s bold second-serve gamble, a 190 km/h delivery, at 3-4 backfired with a double fault, allowing Sinner to serve for the match.
13th ATP Masters 1000 SF 🙌@janniksin takes out Shelton in straight sets to continue his 23-match winning streak on indoor hard courts🤯@RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/YuEfcEYaQk
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 31, 2025
Up next for Sinner will be third seed Alexander Zverev or 11th seed Daniil Medvedev, who continues his late-season charge towards a once-unlikely Nitto ATP Finals berth. Sinner leads Medvedev 8-7 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series and is tied with Zverev at 4-4, including a win last week against the German in the Vienna final.
With his victory Friday, Sinner became the first Italian man to reach 43 tour-level semi-finals, breaking his tie with Fabio Fognini and Adriano Panatta. Sinner is also the first Italian to reach the Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals. Sinner entered the week with just one win across his previous three appearances at the indoor event.
Since falling to Shelton in their first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting two years ago in Shanghai, Sinner has won seven consecutive matches against the 23-year-old. The Italian is 22-0 against Americans since that defeat and 14-0 against left-handers in that time.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Aryna Sabalenka is the latest top player to ramp up pressure on the Grand Slams over increased prize money and greater welfare benefits.
Felix Auger-Aliassime moved to within 145 points of Lorenzo Musetti in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin on Friday, when he ended the run of French wild card Valentin Vacherot to reach the semi-finals at the Rolex Paris Masters.
Vacherot had won his past 10 ATP Masters 1000 matches, highlighted by his fairytale victory in the Shanghai final earlier this month. However, he was unable to cope with Auger-Aliassime’s weight of shot and intensity in Paris, where the ninth seed earned a 6-2, 6-2 win to reach his fourth Masters 1000 semi-final.
“Every opponent is different. It was an interesting challenge coming onto court today and playing a player I knew from practice but had never played in a match. He is so confident and you are kind of scared to be honest,” Auger-Aliassime said. “You are not sure if he has got some magic right now that nobody else has but he is playing unbelievably. But I had to be so focused from the start and this level of intensity from the first game I brought helped ease me into the match and I played some good tennis.”
Auger-Aliassime rallied from a set down in his first three matches in the French capital but was in control from early on in his first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against Vacherot. The 25-year-old, who broke Vacherot’s serve in the opening game, has reached 10 tour-level semi-finals this season, lifting trophies in Adelaide, Montpellier and Brussels.
Auger-Aliassime will next meet Alex de Minaur or Alexander Bublik. The eight-time tour-level titlist is 145 points behind Musetti in the Live Race To Turin and will leapfrog the Italian if he reaches the final. Auger-Aliassime is chasing his second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, having qualified in 2022.
He struck 22 winners and committed 10 unforced errors in his win against Vacherot and is 47-21 on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
“I am trying to win every match I play,” Auger-Aliassime added. “Whether it is the end of the year or start of the year, everything counts and adds up in this sport. I think the work I put in, the routines. I try to be consistent with my work and try to bring consistency with everything I do and it is very gratifying when you get the consistency with your results.”
Vacherot stunned the tennis world when he won in Shanghai to become the lowest-ranked player in history to win a Masters 1000 title. The Monegasque star is up 10 spots to No. 30 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings after his quarter-final run in Paris.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]