Four-time major champion Jannik Sinner extended his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 25 matches by easing past hampered Alexander Zverev 6-0, 6-1 in just 62 minutes, becoming the first Italian to reach the Rolex Paris Masters final on Saturday evening.
Courtside, he assessed the match, saying, “When you drop the physicality like he did, you cannot find the full power on serve. I’m happy to be in the final, but it’s not how you want to arrive. Playing against Sascha is always a special occasion, and today he was clearly not 100 percent; we saw that.”
During an epic clash against Daniil Medvedev on Friday, Zverev seemed to have hurt his left hamstring when he fell to the floor in the first set. Despite the pain, he put up a fight, coming from the brink to reach back-to-back semifinals in as many weeks.
However, the physical effort took a toll on the world number three in the lead-up to the semifinals.
“He was struggling physically. He won an incredible match yesterday, two match points down,” Sinner added. “Making the final in Vienna, coming here and making the semis again, it’s an incredible run, but we all hope that he gets better and fit for Turin.”
The Match as It Happened
From the get-go, the second seed took control of play, imposing his all-around game with his trademark ultra-aggressive approach, without facing a break point all match.
The former world number one fired 23 winners against 12 unforced errors, compared to the German player, who struck six winners to 20 unforced errors.
Moreover, he stayed ruthless behind his serve, winning 90 percent of the points on his first service and 50 percent on his second delivery, converting six of nine break points.
Yet to drop a set this week in Paris, the 24-year-old has booked a ticket into his 32nd tour-level career championship match, the ninth of the season, and his first at the tournament.
On Sunday, the San Canadido native will face off against world No. 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime, who earlier made it through his maiden Masters 1000 final this year by outlasting 13th seed Alexander Bublik with a 7-6(3), 6-4 win in one hour and 36 minutes.
“I’m so happy. A Masters 1000 final sounds really good,” commented the Montreal-born in his on-court interview. “You don’t play those finals every week. Hopefully, I can go all the way and get the title.”
In blistering form, the Canadian player held his nerve to come out on top in the opener, winning his 30th tiebreak this season without dropping a set while hitting 10 aces in the process.
The 25-year-old, who is chasing the last spot available on the Race to Turin in a bid to qualify for his second Nitto ATP Finals, needed to produce a fierce comeback from 1-4 down as Bublik rose to the occasion in the second set, aiming to force a decider.
Nonetheless, the 8-time ATP titlist damaged his adversary with his powerful forehand, hitting 31 winners on his way to notch the set 6-4 and the match in dominant fashion.
With the win, he moved past Italian Lorenzo Musetti to No. 8 in the Live Race to Turin.
Speaking about his upcoming maiden final on French soil, he outlined: “I’ve played some great opponents and tomorrow I have the chance to showcase it in front of everyone. I’m going to wake up ready.
“At the same time, with these guys, you have to be so sharp. Tactically, and with discipline. They don’t give you anything, so you have to be ready to play your A-game.”
Sinner and Auger-Aliassime are tied 2-2 in their series, with the former emerging victorious from their two encounters of the season in Cincinnati and the US Open semifinals.