Sinner dispatches Shelton to chase Paris glory
In a tense quarterfinal at the Paris Masters, Jannik Sinner tames Ben Shelton’s explosive serves, pushing his indoor streak to new heights and sharpening his bid for the world No. 1 crown.
On October 31, 2025, under the Accor Arena’s pulsing lights, Jannik Sinner marked his 400th tour-level match by powering past Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-3, storming into the semi-finals of the Paris Masters for the first time. This straight-sets victory extended the Italian’s indoor hard-court winning streak to 24, a surge that began in November 2023, and positioned him one step from his fifth title of the season—and his first ATP Masters 1000 crown of 2025. A trophy lift here would vault him back to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday, capping a campaign defined by relentless adaptation to the surface’s swift tempo and low bounce.
“It was a very tough match. At times against Ben you don’t have a lot of control because of his incredible serving, but today I felt like I was returning very well,” Sinner said. “Also from the back of the court, I played very solid and also very aggressive, so I’m very happy about today’s match.”
Sinner’s returns dismantled Shelton’s lefty spin, where he claimed 71 percent of second-serve points, his reflexes flashing to neutralize booming deliveries that often curled banana-like across the court. He committed zero unforced errors on his two-handed backhand, limiting forehand miscues to 10, while aggressive replies pinned the American deep and disrupted his one–two combinations of serve and inside-out forehand.
Seizing control in the opener
The first set built methodically, Sinner probing with crosscourt groundstrokes to expose Shelton‘s backhand slice before earning triple set point at 5-3. He converted the second chance after leaping aside from a body serve, racing to retrieve a deep backhand and drilling a down-the-line winner into the open court, wrapping the 34-minute frame amid the crowd’s swelling energy. This break established psychological dominance, Sinner absorbing power without retreat, his focus turning Shelton’s aggression into openings.
Overcoming the second-set wobble
Shelton struck back early in the second, breaking to love at 3-1 with a curling forehand pass that grazed the line after a net cord. The moment tested Sinner’s resolve, the weight of his streak flickering as the arena’s murmurs intensified, yet he steadied with deeper returns that forced errors from the American’s riskier shots. At 3-4, Shelton’s 190 km/h second-serve gamble double-faulted, gifting Sinner the serve for the match and propelling him to a 69-minute finish.
13th ATP Masters 1000 SF @janniksin takes out Shelton in straight sets to continue his 23-match winning streak on indoor hard courts@PMasters | #ParisMasters pic.twitter.com/YuEfcEYaQk
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 31, 2025
This win avenged Sinner’s 2023 Shanghai loss to Shelton, marking his seventh straight victory over the 23-year-old and extending a 22-0 run against Americans, including 14-0 versus left-handers. The indoor hard amplified his flat strokes, minimizing bounce to favor his baseline patterns, while the enclosed atmosphere honed his mental edge amid rising tension.
Breaking barriers toward the summit
Sinner’s triumph made him the first Italian to reach 43 tour-level semi-finals, surpassing Fabio Fognini and Adriano Panatta, and the inaugural from his country to advance this far at the Paris Masters—transforming a tournament where he had just one prior win into a stronghold. Next awaits either third seed Alexander Zverev, against whom he stands 4-4 including last week’s Vienna final, or 11th seed Daniil Medvedev, whom he leads 8-7 as the Russian pushes for a Nitto ATP Finals berth. Medvedev’s late charge adds rivalry’s spark, but Sinner’s tactical blend of aggressive returns and varied pace exploits fatigue, his indoor mastery turning pressure into propulsion as the bracket tightens.
