Sinner Surges to ATP Finals Semi, Zverev Falls Short in Turin

Match Summary

Italian world No. 2 Yannick Sinner, the defending champion of the year, defeated German Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-3 in Turin to reach the semifinals of the ATP Finals in the Bjorn Borg group. The win gave Sinner his sixth victory in ten career meetings with Zverev, including four this season, and his eighth straight win on indoor hard courts in a hall, a surface he favors.

The 24-year-old needed 1 hour 37 minutes to claim his second win in this edition, following Monday’s triumph over Auger-Aliassime, and his 28th consecutive win on hard indoor courts.

After the match, Sinner said the clash was very tough but he served well and that, knowing Sasha well, the plan had to be adjusted; exchanges weren’t long, but the win felt very sweet.

This marks the third straight time Sinner has reached the semifinals at the year-end championships, having fallen in the 2023 final to Novak Djokovic and won the 2024 title by beating Taylor Fritz, achieving five straight wins without dropping a set on indoor hard courts.

Zverev hadn’t managed to beat Sinner since their 2023 US Open quarterfinals, and this was their fourth consecutive loss to the Italian. To reach the last four, Zverev needed to win two straight sets, a target he could not meet this time.

Sinner will face Auger-Aliassime on Friday to seal the second semifinalist spot from the group.

Auger-Aliassime’s Hope Reignited

The Canadian lifted his own qualification hopes by stunning Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-5 in 2 hours 22 minutes, earning his first win of the edition after losing to Sinner on Monday. Auger-Aliassime now needs a victory over Zverev in the final round to reach the semifinals, a challenge he has already overcome in the past, including a Paris Masters final appearance last year.

Shelton, 23, suffered his second consecutive defeat in the opening weekend of the year-end event after losing to Zverev 3-6, 6-7 (6-8) on Sunday.

In the first set, Shelton took control early, but Auger-Aliassime fought back, and the tiebreak proved decisive in the second set—before the Canadian closed out in the decider.

Auger-Aliassime’s path remains dependent on his next result; he must beat Zverev to stay alive in Turin.

Punchline 1: Sinner’s serve was so sharp today that even the scoreboard asked for a raise. Punchline 2: If accuracy were a weapon, Sinner’s racket would be a sniper—boom, straight to the target, and no Reddit threads needed.