Sinner Surges to Paris Masters Round 3 as Zverev’s Title Defense Hits Choppy Water
29 October 2025
Sinner Cruises into Round 3 at the Paris Masters
Italian world No. 2 Jannik Sinner opened his Paris Masters campaign with a straightforward 6-4, 6-2 win over Belgian Zizou Bergs, securing a place in the second round.
He arrives in Paris riding high after claiming his fourth title of the season in Vienna, where he defeated German Alexander Zverev in the final.
Because he did not play last year, Sinner isn’t defending any points here, which could help him reclaim world No. 1 from Carlos Alcaraz if he captures his fifth Masters 1000 title in Paris. Alcaraz, meanwhile, has only 200 points to defend ahead of the year-end ATP Finals in Turin, keeping the pressure on Sinner.
The match was efficient, Bergs threatened briefly, but Sinner converted the lone break in the first set and then sprinted away in the second to finish in 1 hour and 27 minutes.
In the third round, Sinner, who last reached the round of 16 in 2023 before withdrawing against Australian Alex de Minaur, is set to meet either de Minaur or Francisco Cerúndolo, who beat Miomir Kecmanovic 7-5, 1-6, 7-6(7-4).
Zverev’s Title Defense Faces a Rough Ride in Paris
Defending champion Alexander Zverev, the No. 3 seed, opened with a hard-fought win over a tough Argentine opponent, 6-7(5-7), 6-1, 7-5, needing two hours and 35 minutes to secure the victory after a challenging start on serve.
He will meet either Alejandro Davidovich Fokina or Arthur Rinderknech in the next round.
In the ATP race to Turin, Norwegian Casper Ruud’s bid to reach the year-end finals suffered a setback, as he fell 3-6, 5-7 to German Daniel Altmaier.
Meanwhile, Monaco’s Valentin Fashro upset his cousin Arthur Rinderknech 6-7(9-11), 6-3, 6-4, repeating the dramatic Shanghai Masters final-scene where Rinderknech led 11-9 in the opener before Fashro fought back for the win.
Fashro is scheduled to face Cameron Norrie in the next round after Norrie stunned Carlos Alcaraz to reach the round of 16.
Grigor Dimitrov withdrew from his match with Daniil Medvedev due to injury. The 34-year-old was playing his first event since Wimbledon after a serious shoulder issue, having previously reached the second round in this event last year.
Felix Auger-Aliassime, the ninth seed, battled past French opponent Alexander Muller 5-7, 7-6(7-5), 7-6(7-4) to keep his Paris run alive.
As the day closes, the race for the year-end finals remains dynamic, with Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic, and Zverev among those in contention.
Punchline 1: If tennis were a dating app, Sinner would be swiping right on every single title this season—talk about a match made in deuce-ception.
Punchline 2: And if your tennis calendar had a filter, it would be set to “turin-ready”—because at this rate, even the trophies are wearing their winter coats early.
