Sinner’s victory in Paris achieved two remarkable milestones; how can the Italian maintain his status as the tennis king in Turin?

As anticipated before the event, Alcaraz had little chance to challenge Sinner, and the Italian was celebrated as the champion of this year’s Paris Masters.

While Alcaraz managed to overturn a deficit in the second set of the semifinals to defeat Asia’s number one Rublev, his unstable performance throughout the tournament made it seem unlikely he could trouble Sinner in the final.

Moreover, with Alcaraz eliminated early and Sinner just one step away from winning the Paris Masters and reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking, few doubted that the Italian would seize this golden opportunity, further diminishing hopes that Alcaraz could stop him from topping Paris.

However, some Canadian supporters believed that since the two had split their previous four encounters evenly, and with Alcaraz needing only one win in Paris to secure a spot at the year-end finals, he would be highly motivated. They trusted that “FAA would play a different kind of tennis and miracles might happen.”

Yet when Sinner ultimately sealed the match at 6-4, 7-6(4), no one—including Alcaraz’s fans—was surprised.

Sinner has long been regarded as the tennis AI; after dispatching Zverev—the player most likely to drain his energy—with ease in Paris, the Italian has become a godlike figure on court, making it extremely difficult for anyone to cause a major upset against him.

When Alcaraz lost his opening service game and fell behind 0-2, almost everyone watching live declared “The Canadian prodigy’s defeat is certain,” believing it was nearly impossible for him to create a miracle in Paris and snatch this “jinxed trophy” from Sinner.

Everything that followed was exactly as fans and viewers expected: Sinner comfortably took the first set 6-4, giving Alcaraz no chances despite his best efforts.

The second set was arguably Alcaraz’s most resilient performance of the match. He gave his all, engaging in fierce exchanges with Sinner, and the set appeared evenly matched—suggesting he might push the Italian to a tough contest. However, some fans watching live felt that the Canadian’s fight only prolonged the match slightly and wouldn’t change the ultimate outcome.

As it turned out, after the second set reached a tiebreak, Alcaraz soon fell behind against Sinner and lost the tiebreak, surrendering the match. He watched helplessly as Sinner lifted the Paris Masters trophy, with his hopes of securing a year-end finals spot in Paris shattered by the relentless Italian.

With this win over Alcaraz, Sinner not only officially reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking from him this week but also achieved two extraordinary feats, placing him alongside several tennis legends: first, becoming only the fourth player in Paris Masters history to win the title without dropping a set, joining Edberg, Federer, and Djokovic; second, losing the fewest games en route to the Paris Masters title, becoming the third player after Edberg and Davydenko to do so.

Of course, these two remarkable achievements at the Paris Masters also earned Sinner a prize of €946,610, which converts to over 7.76 million RMB, showcasing his impressive earning power.

After the Paris Masters concluded and as the season approaches the year-end finals in Turin, another hot topic has emerged in the media: with the world No. 1 battle reaching a fever pitch, how can the Italian defend his top ranking on home soil in Turin?

Currently, Sinner holds 11,500 points, while Alcaraz has 11,250, a narrow margin. For the Italian to finish the 2025 season perfectly as world No. 1, much depends on Alcaraz’s performance at the Turin Finals.

If Alcaraz wins even one match at the Finals, he must go undefeated to claim the title and realize his goal; if Sinner fails to win all his matches, the only way for him to keep the top spot is if Alcaraz loses every single match.

With the battle for No. 1 reignited between Alcaraz and Sinner, this year’s Turin Finals have become the center of attention. The showdown between these two prodigious players born after 2000, and who will end the season as world No. 1, has become one of the most anticipated storylines of the tournament!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Starry Moon River)