Jannik Sinner kept his bid for a first ATP Masters 1000 crown on track Saturday night with a hard-fought victory against Tommy Paul in Toronto. The Italian earned a 6-4, 6-4 win to advance to his third ATP Masters 1000 final, having previously finished runner-up twice in Miami.
Sinner’s success at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers continues a consistent year of deep runs at the Masters 1000s that has included semi-finals in Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo in addition to a Miami final appearance. The Italian is now 17-4 this season at that prestigious level.
“It’s always a privilege to stand on such a great court, playing a great match against an incredible opponent,” Sinner said post-match. “I’m just trying somehow to take any challenge that’s coming. Whether its the 46-ball rally [on break point in the second set] or also when you serve for the match and you get broken, and then after you have to find a solution somehow to win.
“I’m happy about how I reacted to every situation on the court. He played great. He’s a very nice guy. I’m happy to be again in the final and hopefully I can show some good tennis tomorrow.”
While Sinner has held steady at No. 8 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, he could leapfrog Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud and enter the Top 6 for the first time with a win against Alex de Minaur in Sunday’s final. Sinner’s performance this week has already lifted him two places to fourth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, putting him in prime position to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals directly for the first time; he made his Turin debut as an alternate in 2021.
Against Paul, Sinner secured a back-and-forth opening set by claiming the fifth break of the set in its final game. He built on that momentum to build to a 3-1 lead in the second, securing his fourth break of the match after Paul received a medical timeout for treatment on his lower back.
Just when it looked like Sinner might cruise into his fourth tour-level final of the season, Paul began to fight back, creating break points in each of his next three return games. Sinner fought off five of those break points — including one with the point of the match, a full-tilt, 46-ball rally at 4-2, 30/40 that lasted over a minute — but Paul won another extended exchange to get back on serve at 4-5.
Those long, exciting rallies were emblematic of the match as a whole, with many lengthy exchanges thrilling the Toronto crowd. But in too many of them, Paul was ultimately let down by his forehand. That wing gifted Sinner three points in the match’s final game, and the Italian closed out the win on his third match point with just under two hours on the clock.
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Paul, who upset World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in Friday’s quarter-finals, was bidding to notch two Top 10 wins in the same tournament for the first time. Despite the defeat in his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, the 26-year-old American will rise to a career-high of No. 13 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings on Monday.
Sinner improved to 2-1 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head against Paul and will bid to make it 5-0 against De Minaur on Sunday. While the seventh-seeded Italian knows he will be the favourite against his Toronto doubles partner, he is relishing the opportunity.
“Pressure is something great,” he said. “When you feel pressure, it’s something positive. It’s a privilege to have; not many players have that.
“Alex is an incredible player. He’s showing that here in this tournament and the week before making the final in Los Cabos. Hopefully it’s going to be a great match.”