Copyright timesnownews
Jannik Sinner powered past Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-3 to storm into the semifinals of the Paris Masters on Saturday, keeping alive his pursuit of a fifth major title this year. Yet, amid his remarkable run and a 24-match indoor hardcourt winning streak, the Italian remains strikingly grounded - insisting he is not focused on reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz, at least not yet. The victory came despite a shaky start, with the World No. 2 battling through early discomfort before finding his rhythm to dismantle Shelton with a flurry of precision hitting and relentless intensity. His next challenge is a familiar one - Alexander Zverev - the same opponent he outlasted in the Vienna Open final just days ago. The German, ranked third in the world, will be eyeing revenge after Sinner’s comeback win from a one-set deficit in that title clash. The win in Paris not only brings Sinner closer to a maiden Masters 1000 crown in the French capital but also edges him tantalisingly close to the numero uno spot in the ATP rankings. With Alcaraz losing in the Round of 32 following a loss to Cameron Norrie, Sinner’s surge continues unchecked. If he overcomes Zverev, he will rise to 11,150 ranking points - just 100 shy of Alcaraz. A fifth title of the season would even see him momentarily reclaim the top spot, though his ATP Finals points will soon come off, giving Alcaraz a brief reprieve. Still, the 24-year-old insists that rankings are secondary to performance. “Honestly, at the moment I’m not thinking about the ranking, it’s all a consequence of how I’m playing,” Sinner told Sky Sports. “We go day by day, every day you have very difficult challenges coming up, today was a very tough one, so I’m very happy to come through and whatever comes out comes out. At the end of the year, making the semis here in Paris means a lot. It’s been a very long season with some great results and I never take these results for granted. I’m happy to be in the situation I am and tomorrow is an important day, but I’m looking forward to it.” Though the World No. 1 race remains a subplot, the Paris Masters title is Sinner’s main focus. After a tricky start against Shelton, he was quick to find his groove - turning defence into offence with trademark poise. “[I’m] very happy, it was a very, very tough match,” Sinner said. “At times I don’t have a lot of control because of his incredible serving but today I felt I was returning very well. From the back of the court, I played very solid, very aggressive, so very happy about today’s match and now let’s see what’s coming. Tomorrow’s going to be, in any case, a very physical match, so let’s see how I’m going to feel, but it was a great day.” If he can get past Zverev once again in a span of a week, a final showdown awaits against either Félix Auger-Aliassime or Alexander Bublik - both players Sinner has comfortably beaten before, including in dominant fashion at the US Open.
