Sinner edges closer to world no 1 after Paris Masters win

Italy’s Jannik Sinner moved a step closer to reclaiming the world number one ranking after cruising past American Ben Shelton at the Paris Masters on Friday.

Sinner powered into the semi-finals for the first time at the ATP Masters 1,000 event with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 victory, his seventh straight win over the hard-hitting Shelton.

The 24-year-old could leapfrog Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz to the top of the rankings if he goes on to lift the title in the French capital. Alcaraz’s shock second-round exit to Britain’s Cameron Norrie opened the door for the Italian’s charge.

“I’m very happy. It was a very tough match,” Sinner told Sky Sports after the win. “At times you don’t have much control because of his incredible serving, but today I returned very well and stayed solid from the back of the court.”

Despite dropping serve midway through the second set, Sinner quickly regained control to seal the win in just 70 minutes, showing the ruthless form that brought him the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles earlier this year.

Sinner will now face third seed Alexander Zverev, who saved two match points to edge Daniil Medvedev in a dramatic 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) thriller.

In the other half of the draw, Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik reached his first-ever Masters semi-final after outlasting Alex de Minaur 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-5 in an emotional encounter.

Bublik will next battle Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who swept past Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot 6-2, 6-2 to keep his Paris dream alive.

“Right now, I’m not thinking about rankings,” Sinner said. “It’s just about playing my best tennis. Making the semis here means a lot — it’s been a long season, and I never take these results for granted.”