PARIS — Jannik Sinner triumphed over Francisco Cerundolo with a score of 7-5, 6-1 in the third round of the Paris Masters on Thursday, pushing his impressive indoor winning streak to 23 matches and keeping his hopes alive for reclaiming the No. 1 ranking.
The four-time Grand Slam champion aims to clinch the tournament title to dethrone Carlos Alcaraz from the top spot. Sinner will face off against Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The fifth-seeded American secured his spot in the prestigious ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, after defeating 12th-seeded Andrey Rublev with a score of 7-6 (6), 6-3.
Sinner is in pursuit of his fifth title of the year, eyeing a remarkable 23rd overall. He recently captured an ATP 500 title in Vienna last Sunday, despite battling cramps during the match.
“I hope to recover physically, which is my top priority,” Sinner remarked ahead of his eighth encounter with Shelton. “Today was a solid match, and I was pleased with my performance.”
Sinner currently holds a commanding 6-1 lead in their matchups.
Meanwhile, defending champion Alexander Zverev overpowered 15th-seeded Alejandro Davidovich Fokina with a decisive 6-2, 6-4 victory.
The third-seeded German closed the match on his first match point with an ace and is set to clash with 11th-seeded Daniil Medvedev, the titleholder from 2020.
This marks their 22nd meeting in an intense rivalry, where Medvedev leads 14-7, having emerged victorious in their last five encounters.
Valentin Vacherot, currently ranked 40th, continues his remarkable journey by reaching another Masters quarterfinal after defeating Cameron Norrie 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Just this month, Vacherot made headlines by advancing from the qualifiers to clinch the Shanghai Masters title—his first career championship—after entering the tournament ranked 240th.
He notably triumphed over 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and then defeated his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in the final.
“I never anticipated this,” Vacherot expressed. “It’s great to continue here, perhaps enjoying these matches even more than in Shanghai.”
Hailing from Monaco, Vacherot once again defeated Rinderknech in the second round here in Paris, setting the stage for his match against Norrie, who had previously eliminated Alcaraz.
Achieving five aces and saving all five break points, Vacherot limited Norrie’s effectiveness, conceding serve just once.
Next, he will confront ninth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, who fought back against Daniel Altmaier for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory, keeping alive his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin.
In other matches, fourth-seeded American Taylor Fritz fell to No. 13 seed Alexander Bublik 7-6 (5), 6-2; No. 6 Alex De Minaur secured a 6-2, 6-2 victory against 2018 champion Karen Khachanov; and Medvedev earned his 25th Masters quarterfinal with a comeback 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Lorenzo Sonego.
De Minaur has qualified for the ATP Finals for the second straight season, while Shelton marks his first time, leaving just one spot remaining.
Auger-Aliassime can surpass Lorenzo Musetti only by reaching the finals here in Paris.
