Jannik Sinner closed in on reclaiming the world number one ranking after dispatching Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the Paris Masters for the first time.
With Carlos Alcaraz crashing out in the second round to Cameron Norrie, the path is clear for Sinner to retake the top spot if he lifts the ATP Masters 1,000 trophy in the French capital.
The 24-year-old Italian dominated from the baseline and returned superbly against Shelton’s booming serve, sealing his seventh straight win over the American in just 70 minutes.
“I’m very happy,” Sinner told Sky Sports. “It was a very tough match. At times, you don’t have much control because of his incredible serving, but today I felt I was returning well and being aggressive from the back of the court.”
Although he briefly dropped serve midway through the second set, Sinner immediately broke back and never looked in danger of losing control.
“At the moment, I’m not thinking about the ranking,” the Australian Open and Wimbledon champion added. “It’s a consequence of how I’m playing. Making the semis here means a lot, it’s been a long season with great results, and I never take them for granted.”
Sinner will face either Alexander Zverev or Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals as he continues his pursuit of the Paris title and the world number one crown.
Elsewhere, Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik reached his first-ever Masters semi-final after edging Australia’s Alex de Minaur 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-5 in an emotional win.
He will meet Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, who cruised past Shanghai Masters champion Valentin Vacherot 6-2, 6-2.
