Jannik Sinner Enters ATP Finals Semis After Beating Zverev

Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner moved into the semi-finals of the ATP Finals in Turin after defeating Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday. The defending champion continued his strong indoor form, extending his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 28 matches. With this victory, Sinner also kept alive his hopes of finishing the year as world number one.

The match between Sinner and Zverev was expected to be tough, as both players had won their opening matches in the Bjorn Borg group. Sinner, currently ranked world number two, faced strong resistance from Zverev, a two-time winner of the ATP Finals. The Italian had to play carefully in the early stages, especially when facing several break points from his German rival.

Sinner began the first set under pressure. In the very first game, he faced two break points but managed to hold his serve after hitting four aces. It took him almost nine minutes to secure that opening game, showing how competitive the match was. Zverev played well from the baseline, but Sinner remained calm and used his powerful serve and quick footwork to stay ahead.

At 5-4 in the first set, Sinner had two break points and took his chance. He played an intelligent point at the net to surprise Zverev and win the set 6-4. The Italian crowd cheered loudly as their local hero took control of the match.

In the second set, Sinner again started slowly but did not let Zverev take the lead. He came back from 0-40 in his first service game to hold serve. Later, at 3-2, he broke Zverev’s serve to take a 4-2 lead. Zverev tried hard to return the favor and even got break points in the next game, but Sinner stayed strong.

One of the most exciting moments of the match came when Sinner hit a fast backhand down the line, leaving Zverev stunned. The German could only shake his head in disbelief. From that moment, Sinner looked confident and in control. After one hour and 43 minutes, he finished the match with a solid 6-3 win in the second set.

This was Sinner’s third victory over Zverev in the past 17 days, showing his dominance in recent meetings. The win also confirmed his place in the semi-finals, while Zverev still has a chance to qualify depending on the results of other matches.

To have a chance at finishing the year as world number one, Sinner must win the ATP Finals without losing a single match. Meanwhile, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who has two wins so far, needs just one more victory to keep his top ranking. Alcaraz will face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti next, while Taylor Fritz will play against Alex de Minaur in the other group match.

Earlier on the same day, Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime won his first match of the tournament by beating American player Ben Shelton. Auger-Aliassime came back from a set down to win 4-6, 7-6, 7-5. This result eliminated Shelton from the tournament, as he had already lost to Zverev earlier.

Shelton started strong and took the first set with powerful serves and quick points. However, in the second set, Auger-Aliassime showed great patience. He forced a tiebreak and won it to level the match. During the tiebreak, Shelton slipped and hurt his knee but continued to play. Despite saving three set points, a double fault from Shelton gave the second set to Auger-Aliassime.

In the final set, both players held their serves until 6-5, when Shelton made unforced errors that gave Auger-Aliassime match points. The Canadian took his chance and sealed the victory on his third match point. Shelton’s frustration was clear as he had earlier thrown his racket after missing a service game in the first set.

With this result, Sinner moves confidently toward the semi-finals, continuing his dream run in front of his home crowd. The Italian fans will now wait eagerly to see if their champion can go all the way again and maybe even end 2025 as the world’s top player.