Jannik Sinner reacts to return to world No 1 after Paris Masters triumph
Jannik Sinner described his return to world No 1 as “huge” after his Paris Masters triumph saw him replace Carlos Alcaraz at the very top of the ATP Rankings.
Second seed Sinner battled past ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6(4) to lift the title in Paris for the first time on Sunday, claiming his fifth Masters 1000 title and his fifth title of 2025.
The Italian’s title continues his final unbeaten streak on indoor courts and was his second ATP title in the space of two weeks, having lifted the title in Vienna a week ago.
However, perhaps most significantly, victory for the 24-year-old means that he will replace Alcaraz at the top of the ATP Rankings on Monday, having previously lost the top spot to the Spaniard following the US Open final in September.
Monday’s ATP Rankings will put the Italian on 11,500 points, with Alcaraz just behind on 11,250 points; the Spaniard was beaten in round two in Paris this year.
The Italian will now look to defend his ATP Finals title in Turin, while Auger-Aliassime’s final defeat means that he is still battling to seal his place in the ‘Elite 8’.
While Sinner still faces a tough challenge to try and prevent Alcaraz from sealing the year-end No 1 spot in Turin, the 24-year-old was undoubtedly thrilled with his return to the top.
“It’s huge,” said Sinner, speaking to Tennis TV.
“Honestly, it was such an intense final here. We both knew what’s on the line — for him [Auger-Aliassime], he’s in a very tough and difficult spot.
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“For my side, I’m extremely happy. The past couple of months have been amazing. We tried to work on things to improve as a player, and seeing these kind of results, it makes me incredibly happy.
“Another title this year. It has been an amazing year, no matter what comes now in Turin. I’m extremely happy, and without my team, that would not be possible.”
It was a characteristically ruthless performance from Sinner, who was not broken once across the final — having not dropped a set all week on his way to the title.
But Auger-Aliassime, a strong indoor player in his own right, did not make it easy for the soon-to-be world No 1, with the Canadian’s recent resurgence shown in a resilient display.
Sinner added: “It was a very difficult match.
“He was serving incredibly well, especially from the first break on, I didn’t have many chances. I had a 15-40 [in the second set], and he served huge there.
“You have to use the small chances that you have and in the breaker, it was just a small minibreak, so I’m very happy how I played there, and I was very consistent. Extremely happy.”
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