Unstoppable Sinner

Only eight unforced errors, a mere 10 points dropped on serve in almost two hours of bludgeoning tennis – Jannik Sinner was on his back to the top of the rankings and Felix Auger-Aliassime still has work to do if he is to qualify for the ATP Tour Finals. It was a great final to bring the first Rolex Paris Masters at the Paris La Defense Arena to a close.

“This is huge, honestly,” Sinner said. “It was such an intense final here and we both knew what was on the line. For him, it’s a very tough and difficult spot but from my side, I’m extremely happy. The past couple of months have been amazing. We tried to work on things; I’m trying to improve as a player and these kinds of results make me incredibly happy. Another title – it’s been an amazing year no matter what comes now in Turin. I’m extremely happy right now and without my team, that would not be possible. Today is a very special day to share it with them.”

Getting physical

Even if he was running on empty – like most players at this time of year – Sinner was not going to show it. He came out prepared to run until he dropped to get his title. He broke his nervous opponent in the first game and then dug in when FAA tried to fight back. Winning a 25-stroke rally to keep his rival at bay, he sucked in air and stood tall: no one was going to take this away from him.

Pounding Auger-Aliassime with his forehand, returning with power and precision and clubbing his backhand, he left the Canadian for second best and never faced a break point. Auger-Aliassime was not playing badly but Sinner, together with Carlos Alcaraz, plays in a different league to the chasing pack. He even brought out his new toy – the drop shot – and played that to perfection, too.

“It was a very difficult match,” Sinner said. “He was serving incredibly well, especially from the first break on. I didn’t have many chances: I had a 15-40 and he served huge there. You have to use the small chances that you have and in the tiebreak, there was just a small mini-break so I’m very happy how I played there. Very consistent. So I’m extremely happy.”

The next step

After winning the title without dropping a set, Sinner now has well-earned rest before he heads to Turin in a couple of days’ time. He is the new world No.1 as of now but to clinch the end-of-year No.1 ranking, he has around 1,000 points to make up against Alcaraz. There is a lot to do in the Finals, then.

As for Auger-Aliassime – who looked crushed in the immediate aftermath – he has another tournament to play in the coming days if he is to achieve his goal of that ticket to Turin. Metz, here he comes.