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Defending champion Jannik Sinner secured a semi-final spot at the ATP Finals in Turin with a routine 6-4 6-3 victory over Alexander Zverev on Wednesday.
As a result, Sinner extended his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 28 matches – stretching back to his loss to Novak Djokovic in the final of this event two years ago.
It was also Sinner’s fifth-straight victory over third seed Zverev – a run that includes this year’s Australian Open final and recent meetings in Vienna and Paris.
The Italian still has a chance of reclaiming the world No 1 ranking to close out the year, but needs to succesfully defend his title and hope that Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t win another match.
Sinner leads the Bjorn Borg Group with two wins from two, while Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime have one win each and Ben Shelton trails without a victory.
Alcaraz has also won his opening two matches to lead the Jimmy Connors Group.
Sinner saved two break points in the opening game of the match against Zverev – both with aces – and battled back from 0-40 down to hold serve early in the second set but was otherwise largely untroubled as he booked his semi-final spot.
Auger-Aliassime comeback win keeps semi-final hopes alive
Auger-Aliassime claimed his first win at this year’s ATP Finals, battling back from a set down to beat Shelton 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 in the other match from the Bjorn Borg Group to take place on Wednesday.
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Highlights of Felix Auger-Aliassime’s clash against Ben Shelton from the ATP Finals.
The Canadian’s victory keeps his hopes alive of qualifying for the semi-finals, as he’ll next face Zverev on Friday in a shootout for qualification alongside Sinner.
Shelton goes up against the Italian in a final dead rubber after two defeats in two for the American fifth seed.
Shelton dominated the first set against Auger-Aliassime and got an early break, only for a terrible game from him, when serving for the set, allowed his opponent to break straight back.
Shelton showed his frustration by hitting his racket on the ground, which then flew out of his hand and toward spectators. No one was hit, but he received a code violation warning for his outburt before he recovered to take the first set.
The second set went with serve to a tiebreak, in which Shelton saved three set points until a double fault allowed Auger-Aliassime to pull level.
Shelton managed to fend off two break points early in the deciding set, but Auger-Aliassime would ultimately wear him down and break in the final game of the match to clinch victory on his third match point.
“He was playing much better than me at the start,” the eighth-seeded Canadian said of Shelton. “It’s not often that I get broken twice in the first set indoors.
“It was a weird start, but as the match went on I was finding ways to put returns in the court.
“Once we engaged in the rallies, I felt like I could win more. You just have to fight, believe, and play the next point the right way.”
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