Sinner reclaims No. 1 ranking after beating Auger-Aliassime in Paris Masters final

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PARIS (AP) — Jannik Sinner reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in men's tennis after beating Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the Paris Masters final on Sunday.

The four-time Grand Slam champion from Italy replaced six-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz at the top as he extended his indoor winning streak to 26 matches, following up victory in Vienna last Sunday with his first Paris title.

The ninth-seeded Auger-Aliassime needed to win the tournament at La Défense Arena to clinch the eighth and final spot for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.

But Sinner did not concede a break point chance in the match and won the tournament without dropping a set.

“It’s huge, honestly. It was such an intense final here and we both knew what’s on the line," Sinner said. “For him it’s a very tough and difficult spot but from my side I’m extremely happy.”

Sinner beat Auger-Aliassime for the third straight time — including in the semifinals at this year’s U.S. Open — and now leads the Canadian 3-2 in head-to-heads.

“He was serving extremely well,” Sinner said. "You have to use your small chances well.”

Auger-Aliassime is one of the most consistent players indoors but overall he was unable to trouble Sinner in a one-sided contest which saw Sinner at his clinical best as he won his fifth title of the year and 23rd of his career.

Sinner won on his first match point with a crisp two-handed backhand down the line, tilted his head back and raised his arms. He then patted his heart as he waved his racket to the crowd.

“The past couple of months have been amazing. We tried to work on things, tying to improve as a player and seeing this kind of result makes me extremely happy,” Sinner said. “It has been an amazing year no matter what comes in Turin.”

Although Auger-Aliassime had more aces — eight compared to six — Sinner won 91% of first-serve points compared to 81 for his opponent.

“Everything was on the quality of his serve,” Auger-Aliassime said. “Hats off to him.”

Auger-Aliassime, who has won titles this year in Adelaide, Montpellier and Brussels, received a time violation warning from chair umpire Nacho Forcadell when serving at 30-30 in the ninth game of the second set.

At the changeover, Auger-Aliassime stood and questioned Forcadell, who told him he should have been ready.

Auger-Aliassime disagreed.

“I was ready to receive the balls, I didn’t have the balls (from the ball kids),” he said. “If I don’t have the balls, how can I get ready to serve? I didn’t have one ball in my hand.”

Auger-Aliassime then sat down and muttered to Forcadell: “You’re not serious. You’re really not serious, you’re really, really not serious.”

Sinner served out the first set, clinching it with a whipped forehand winner at the net when his opponent’s drop shot sat up invitingly.

There was a brief glimpse of hope for Auger-Aliassime when he was 5-4 up and took Sinner to deuce on his serve in the 10th game.

But an unforced error — a loose forehand long — let the Italian off. Sinner followed up with a love hold, featuring one exquisite drop shot followed by a clinical lob.

After the defeat, Auger-Aliassime sat on his chair for a few moments with his head bowed.

“It was difficult having to sit there rethinking a few points, having to accept that the match is over,” he said. “I wish I didn't make those mistakes to start the match with, I can't give him that at the level he plays.”

Beating Sinner is a massive challenge indoors.

“There's no weather conditions that can impact the court, it's hard,” Auger-Aliassime said. “He's so balanced and so well-poised in his defense. On his return game, he's balanced everywhere.”

He still has a chance of reaching Turin and is vying with Italian Lorenzo Musetti. Both will be in action at ATP 250 tournaments, with Musetti playing in Athens and Auger-Aliassime the top seed in Metz, France.

Next up for Sinner?

“I will take a couple of days off. It's very important now for the body but also for the mind," the 24-year-old said. “Recharge and hopefully be as ready as possible then for Turin.”

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis