Jannik Sinner Secures His Spot in the ATP Finals Semifinals
The defending champion, Jannik Sinner, secured his place in the ATP Finals semifinals with a resounding victory over Alexander Zverev, in front of the home crowd in Turin. Sinner demonstrated his dominance by defeating Zverev with a score of 6-4 and 6-3, extending his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 28 consecutive matches. This victory marks Sinner’s fifth consecutive win over Zverev, including this year’s Australian Open final and recent encounters in Vienna and Paris. The Italian tennis player, currently number two in the world, still has the possibility of finishing the year in first place. To achieve this, he needs to win the tournament and hope that Carlos Alcaraz does not advance in the championship. Sinner leads the Bjorn Borg group with two victories, while Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime each have one victory. Ben Shelton has not yet achieved any victories. Alcaraz has also won his first two matches and leads the Jimmy Connors group. The top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals.
Zverev, winner of the tournament in 2018 and 2021, saw his aspirations frustrated by a Sinner in excellent form. In another notable match, Felix Auger-Aliassime secured his first victory in this year’s finals by coming back to defeat Ben Shelton with scores of 4-6, 7-6 (7), and 7-5.I served very well on the important points. There weren’t many long rallies.
Jannik Sinner
Shelton dominated the first set and achieved an early break, but an unfortunate game allowed Auger-Aliassime to break his serve. Shelton, who was playing in the finals for the first time, showed his frustration by hitting his racket against the ground, which earned him a warning. The American recovered to break serve immediately and take the first set. The second set remained even, and Shelton managed to save three set points in the tiebreak, but a double fault, shortly after stumbling, allowed Auger-Aliassime to equalize. The Canadian didn’t look back and, although Shelton managed to defend two break points at the beginning of the decisive set, Auger-Aliassime broke his serve in the final game, sealing the victory on his third match point.He was playing much better than me at the beginning. It’s not common for me to get broken twice in the first set indoors. It was a strange start, but as the match went on, I found ways to get returns in the court. Once we got involved in rallies, I felt I could win more. You just have to fight, believe and play the next point the right way.
Felix Auger-Aliassime
