PARIS — Jannik Sinner routed a weary-looking Alexander Zverev 6-0, 6-1 in a little more than an hour on Saturday to reach the Paris Masters final and move closer to reclaiming the No. 1 ranking.
The four-time Grand Slam champion from Italy will replace six-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz at the top if he wins Sunday’s final against ninth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, who needs a win to clinch the eighth and final spot for the season-ending ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
Auger-Aliassime earlier beat Alexander Bublik 7-6 (3), 6-4 in their semifinal at La Défense Arena.
Daniil Medvedev in three sets in their gritty quarterfinal on Friday to end a five-match losing streak against the Russian.
Sinner will bid for his fifth title of the year and 23rd of his career on Sunday; Auger-Aliassime goes for his fourth of the season and ninth overall.
They are 2-2 in head-to-heads, with Sinner winning the past two — including in the semifinals at this year’s US Open.
Bublik led 4-1 in the second set but then lost five consecutive games, smashing his racket on the ground after one of them.
Serving for the match, Auger-Aliassime began with his 12th ace. A forehand winner at the net gave him a first match point and he clinched it with another big forehand. Auger-Aliassime patted his heart and waved to the crowd.
Auger-Aliassime has won titles this year in Adelaide, Montpellier and Brussels.
The No. 13-seeded Bublik was the first Kazakh to reach a Masters semifinal. He lost for the fourth time in six matches to Auger-Aliassime.
