Sinner Ascends Past Shelton, Closing in on World No. 1 Status
Italian sensation is riding a remarkable 24-match indoor winning streak.
October 31, 2025
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner stands just two victories away from reclaiming the coveted World No. 1 spot in the PIF ATP Rankings.
By ATP Staff
On Friday at the Rolex Paris Masters, Jannik Sinner showcased his prowess by defeating Ben Shelton, securing a place in the semi-finals for the first time at this prestigious French ATP Masters 1000 event.
The second seed marked a significant milestone in his 400th tour-level match, effortlessly eliminating Shelton with a score of 6-3, 6-3, and extending his impressive indoor winning streak to 24 matches, a streak that began in November 2023. If Sinner clinches his fifth title this season—his first ATP Masters 1000 title of 2025—he will ascend to the No. 1 position in the PIF ATP Rankings come Monday.
“It was a challenging match. At times, facing Ben is unpredictable because of his exceptional serve, but today I felt my returns were on point,” Sinner reflected, noting he won 71 percent of his second-serve return points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “I maintained a solid and aggressive stance from the baseline, which makes me very pleased with my performance today.”
Displaying remarkable precision, Sinner committed no unforced errors on his reliable two-handed backhand and recorded just 10 on his forehand. The Italian showed aggressive intent on second-serve returns and quick reflexes against Shelton’s heavy serves.
During the opening set at 5-3, Sinner found himself with triple set points, converting his second chance after deftly evading Shelton’s powerful serve and subsequently dispatching a backhand into the open court to secure the set in just 34 minutes.
Sinner faced a minor setback in the second set at 3-1 when Shelton broke his serve with an impressive forehand, but he quickly regained his composure, ultimately sealing a dominant 69-minute victory. Shelton’s gamble on a 190 km/h second serve at 3-4 resulted in a double fault, paving the way for Sinner to serve for the match.
13th ATP Masters 1000 SF 🙌 @janniksin takes out Shelton in straight sets to continue his 23-match winning streak on indoor hard courts🤯 @RolexPMasters | #RolexParisMasters pic.twitter.com/YuEfcEYaQk
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 31, 2025
Next up for Sinner is a clash against either third seed Alexander Zverev or 11th seed Daniil Medvedev, both of whom are vying for a coveted spot in the Nitto ATP Finals. Sinner has an edge over Medvedev with an 8-7 lead in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, while his record against Zverev stands at 4-4, including a victory over the German in last week’s Vienna final.
With this win, Sinner has etched his name in history as the first Italian man to reach 43 tour-level semi-finals, surpassing legends Fabio Fognini and Adriano Panatta. Additionally, he becomes the inaugural Italian to reach the Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals, having only secured one win in his previous three attempts at this indoor tournament.
Since their initial meeting in Shanghai two years ago, where he faced defeat against Shelton, Sinner has triumphed in seven consecutive encounters against the American. Remarkably, he holds a record of 22-0 against Americans since that loss and is 14-0 against left-handed players during the same span.
