Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime came close to capturing the Paris Masters title on Sunday but was defeated by Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the men’s singles final with a score of 6-4, 7-6 (4). Despite serving eight aces and only committing two double faults, Auger-Aliassime missed his chance to break in the match. The 25-year-old, seeded ninth, needed to win the tournament to secure the final spot for the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
Auger-Aliassime is currently in a tight race with Lorenzo Musetti for the last ATP Finals spot. Musetti must win the upcoming tournament in Athens to surpass Auger-Aliassime and qualify for the prestigious event in Italy. Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime will be competing in the ATP 250 tournament in Metz, France, as the top seed.
There is uncertainty surrounding Novak Djokovic’s participation in the finals as he has expressed a focus on major tournaments over other events. Djokovic, who skipped last year’s finals, is currently competing in Athens. If Djokovic withdraws, both Auger-Aliassime and Musetti would secure spots in the finals, with the final qualifier to be determined at the draw on Thursday.
In the Paris Masters final, Sinner claimed victory over Auger-Aliassime, seizing the No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis. This win marked Sinner’s fifth title of the year, with six aces contributing to his success. Sinner has now beaten Auger-Aliassime for the third consecutive time and leads their head-to-head record 3-2.
Gabriela Dabrowski from Ottawa and Erin Routliffe from New Zealand triumphed over Russia’s Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva in the WTA Finals in Riyadh, securing a 6-3, 7-6 (2) victory in the women’s doubles group stage. The third-seeded Dabrowski and Routliffe displayed a strong performance, breaking their opponents on three out of eight opportunities and winning 76% of their first-serve points.
Shnaider and Andreeva, on the other hand, faced challenges with six double faults and only managed to break once in four chances, leading to their defeat. The fifth seeds won 75% of their first-serve points in the match.