Jannik Sinner enters Paris Masters quarter-finals, closes in on world number one

(Dan Tri) - Jannik Sinner has entered the Paris Masters quarterfinals for the first time in his career, after a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Francisco Cerundolo in the early morning of October 31.

Appearing in the Paris Masters quarter-finals for the first time, Sinner not only marked a memorable milestone in his career but also ignited hopes of regaining the world number one position on the ATP rankings.

During the 86-minute match, Sinner moved cautiously and stretched his right leg at times, but no medical intervention was needed. The No. 2 seed showed impressive form with 12 winners and just two unforced errors in the first set. In the second set, Sinner quickly broke Cerundolo's serve after just 10 minutes, with a decisive forehand on the second break point, from which he broke to win.

Jannik Sinner entered the Paris Masters quarter-finals for the first time (Photo: Getty).

“I had two breaks in the first set but couldn’t convert them. I put myself in a difficult situation, but I’m happy with the way I finished and I feel much better. Hopefully this will give me more confidence to start tomorrow well. Hopefully I can get back fit, that’s my priority. It was a great match today and my performance was great,” Sinner said after the match.

With this victory, Sinner became the first Italian player to reach the quarterfinals in all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. The 24-year-old has won Masters 1000 titles in Miami, Canada, Cincinnati and Shanghai.

Sinner leads Cerundolo 4-2 in the head-to-head series, having won his last 23 matches indoors. The Italian is hoping to capitalise on Carlos Alcaraz's early defeat in Paris to claim the world number one ranking. Sinner could return to the top spot on Monday if he can lift his first Masters 1000 title of the season.

Sinner's next opponent will be Ben Shelton, who beat Andrey Rublev 7-6(6), 6-3. Shelton and Sinner will also compete at the Nitto ATP Finals next month. Shelton beat Sinner in Shanghai in 2023 but has lost the next six meetings, failing to win a set. The American will be hoping to end his losing streak after the Paris match.

Elsewhere, Daniil Medvedev maintained his position in the race for a ticket to the ATP Finals with a hard-fought 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 victory over Lorenzo Sonego. The 29-year-old is ranked 13th in the ATP Live Race To Turin rankings and must win the title in Paris to have a chance to compete in Turin next month.

Defending champion Zverev is in the quarter-finals (Photo: Getty).

Medvedev won his first title in 882 days in October in Almaty, after reaching the semi-finals in Beijing and Shanghai in recent weeks. In his 25th Masters 1000 quarter-final, Medvedev will face Alexander Zverev.

German Zverev eliminated 15th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the next round. Zverev dominated the match against the Spaniard, who lost in the Basel final on Sunday.

Zverev is the defending champion in Paris and is chasing his eighth Masters 1000 title this weekend. Medvedev leads Zverev 14-7 in the head-to-head and has won the last five meetings. The world No. 3's last victory over Medvedev was in Cincinnati in 2023.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/jannik-sinner-vao-tu-ket-paris-masters-tien-gan-ngoi-so-mot-the-gioi-20251031065320248.htm