What Jannik Sinner’s Paris Masters demolition of Alexander Zverev means for his world No 1 bid

Ewan West 01 Nov 2025 7:00 PM

Jannik Sinner hits a forehand

Jannik Sinner is closing in on a return to the top of the ATP Rankings after delivering a ruthless display to see off world No 3 Alexander Zverev at the 2025 Paris Masters.

The world No 2 dismantled a physically depleted Zverev 6-0, 6-1 in only 61 minutes in the semi-finals at the Paris La Defense Arena.

Sinner is aiming to win his maiden title at the Paris Masters and his first ATP 1000 title of the 2025 season. He has won four Masters crowns, with his most recent coming at the 2024 Shanghai Masters.

Jannik Sinner destroys Alexander Zverev to keep world No 1 bid on track

Jannik Sinner has closed the gap to Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Rankings, and he will return to world No 1 next week if he wins the Paris Masters final
The Italian expressed his sympathy for Alexander Zverev as he recognised the German was “clearly not 100%”
Sinner looked ahead to his showdown with Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Paris final and said the Canadian is playing “incredible tennis”

It was evident from the start of the semi-final that Zverev was struggling physically, with the 28-year-old serving below his usual lofty speeds.

Zverev had overcome Daniil Medvedev in a three-set quarter-final thriller that finished late on Friday night, and Sinner took full advantage of his struggles.

Sinner’s world No 1 bid

Carlos Alcaraz’s shock loss to Cameron Norrie in his opening match at the Paris Masters opened the door for Sinner to return to world No 1.

Sinner’s objective was clear: win the Paris Masters and return to the top of the ATP Rankings.

The Italian is now just one win away from achieving this as his semi-final victory moved him onto 11,150 points in the Live ATP Rankings.

This leaves Sinner just 100 points behind Alcaraz, and he will move 250 points clear of his Spanish rival if he wins the final on Sunday.

If Sinner does return to world No 1, it will be for just one week, as the points from his 2024 ATP Finals win will drop at the start of this year’s edition of the event.

Tennis News

Why it is ‘difficult to draw any conclusions’ about Jannik Sinner’s Paris Masters level: Ex-ATP star

How Felix Auger-Aliassime’s Paris Masters win over Alexander Bublik affects ATP Finals Race

What did Sinner say after beating Zverev?

In his on-court interview with Tennis TV, Sinner was asked about how well he managed the situation and Zverev’s serve despite his opponent’s condition.

“No, you know, when you drop in the physicality like he did, you cannot find the full power on the serve either,” Sinner said.

“So, obviously I’m happy to be in the final, but it’s not how you want to arrive because playing against Sascha, it’s always a very special occasion. Playing in a packed stadium.

“And today he was clearly not 100%, we saw that he was struggling physically, he had a very tight schedule in the past months. Yesterday, incredible match he won with two match points down and this, it’s also difficult mentally.

“Obviously also physically because he made final in Vienna, coming here, making semis again, it’s an incredible run for him, but we all hope that he gets better and gets fit for Turin now. But yeah, for my side, I’m obviously happy to be in the final.”

What did Sinner say about the Paris Masters final?

Sinner also shared his thoughts on facing world No 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final in Paris.

“Oh, he plays incredible tennis at the moment,” said the Italian.

“He has improved a lot, especially in the past months. He has found his game again, so I’m looking forward to it tomorrow, playing against him, especially in a final. It’s a great occasion for both of us and obviously we hope for a great final.

“But again, I’m very happy for Felix, he’s one of the nicest guys we have on tour, and sharing the final with him is gonna be something special. But again, we both try to push each other to the limits, it’s gonna be a very difficult match.”