Number 1 Italian racquet Jannik Sinner stayed ruthless during the Rolex Paris Masters showdown to outclass ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6(4), becoming the inaugural champion at the tournament’s new venue, La Defense Arena, on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s huge, honestly, it was such an intense final, and we both knew what was on the line,” he outlined in his on-court interview.
“We try to work on things, and seeing this result makes me incredibly happy. Another title this year… It’s been an amazing year regardless of what comes in Turin.”
The 24-year-old found the answers with consistency, dominant from the baseline to extend his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 26 matches, becoming the first Masters 1000 champion to sweep all sets since Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells in 2023.
The second seed needed one hour and 52 minutes to overpower his opponent, striking 25 winners, including six aces, against 15 unforced errors.
Sinner won 91 percent of the points on his first serve and converted 1 of 6 break points throughout the encounter.
Furthermore, he dropped just 10 points behind his service overall.
An Edgy Battle for the Crown
The Italian opened with a break of serve and held to love, moving up 2-0 on his way to close out 6-4 in 44 minutes without facing a break point while converting the lone opportunity he had.
In addition, Sinner won 93 percent of the points behind his first delivery; moreover, by hitting the ball cleanly off both wings, he found impossible angles to paint the lines with finesse while mastering his superb all-court coverage and footwork.
The Canadian player tried but could not find a way through the first set, neutralized by the speed and accuracy delivered by the man standing tall on the other side of the net.
However, he regrouped in time to showcase the high level of tennis that led him to his second career Masters 1000 final, his first of the season.
Auger-Aliassime adjusted his game in a tight second set, rising to the occasion to challenge the Wimbledon winner, who made a less explosive start to the set.
Despite hitting a double fault to start proceedings and saving break points on his serve, the 25-year-old held his ground in the opening game, which was pivotal to going toe-to-toe with the favorite.
Neither player could break the other, with the Montreal-born managing to hold his advantage for the remainder of the set.
Sinner faced danger down 4-5, 40/40 as a result of his second double fault of the match, but quickly pulled through, keeping the scoreline tied 5-5.
Three drop shots executed with precision made a difference for the Italian, who played the tiebreaker with confidence, ripping his powerful forehand with authority when it mattered most to surge to a 7-6(4) win.
Off the back of an unmatched campaign, the two-time Australian Open champion will return to the world No. 1 in the Rankings in the build-up to the season-ending elite competition, the Nitto ATP Finals.
For his part, Auger-Aliassime will play in Metz next week, aiming to secure the last spot in the Race to Turin for the second time in his young career.