Five months after heartbreak in Paris, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz despite holding three match points, Jannik Sinner finally flipped the script. Over the past few months, the Italian endured a rough stretch. He lost the US Open, dropped his No. 1 ranking after 65 weeks, and had to pull out of Shanghai. But somewhere along the way, he found his spark again. He stretched his indoor hard-court win streak to 26 matches and captured the Paris Masters crown over Felix Auger-Aliassime. The fight was fierce, yet he still tipped his hat to his opponent.

The Italian held the Fanti Tree with his name engraved, after winning the final in just one hour, 52 minutes, 6-4, 7-6(4). He also reclaimed the No.1 ranking, overthrowing Alcaraz for a brief time before the ATP finals. But his first words were to the Canadian: “First of all Félix, amazing week,” he said. “I know you had a lot of pressure. You’ve been in a very difficult spot throughout the whole week. I hope it pays off for you, playing in Turin. Congrats to you and your whole team.”

True to word Auger-Aliassime fought hard all week, chasing his first Masters title. But his final opponent’s fire proved unstoppable. Still, Jannik Sinner kept the praise coming, telling him, “You’re one of the nicest people on the tour. If you keep playing like this, you’re for sure gonna have some of this I’m very sure. I wish you the best for the rest of the season, but also the rest of your career. You’re amazing.”

This marks Auger Aliassime’s second final of the season, and even though he didn’t lift the trophy, it gives him 650-point boost in the Race to Turin over Daniil Medvedev for the final spot. Speaking of which, Sinner now trails Alcaraz by just 1,050 points in the Live rankings. Their season-long battle will come down to the ATP Finals, where Sinner will have the chance to defend his title.

With this win, Jannik Sinner became only the fourth player since 1990 to claim the Paris Masters without dropping a set, joining Stefan Edberg (1990), Roger Federer (2011), and Novak Djokovic (2014, 2019). Reclaiming the No. 1 ranking made it even sweeter for someone who hadn’t thought it possible just a week earlier.

He said in the pre-tournament press conference, “No, it’s impossible. I mean…honestly, I’m not thinking about this at the moment. It’s going to be a goal for next year. This year, it’s not in my hands. Let’s say it like this.” And sure, there’s still a chance he won’t finish the year as No. 1, but his dominance in Paris shows he’s more than ready for the challenge. And his opponent sure felt the heat during the match.

Jannik Sinner’s opponent talks about ranking points following defeat

The third meeting of the season between Sinner and Auger-Aliassime had a familiar outcome, but a different feeling. Though the Canadian had fallen to Sinner twice before, in Cincinnati and at the US Open, he left Paris seeing real progress. “For me, it’s not a huge gap. I’m getting closer every match we play against each other,” Felix said after the final. Their head-to-head now stands at 3-2 in the Italian’s favor, but the Canadian stayed optimistic.

“This match was more tight. At the US Open, I managed to win a set and lost the first and the fourth in a difficult way.” He was recalling their semifinal in New York, where he took a set off Sinner in what was his first Grand Slam semifinal since 2021.

Auger-Aliassime’s steady return to form has been one of this season’s standout stories. He now leads the Tour with 82 indoor wins this decade and owns titles in Brussels, Montpellier, and Adelaide. “But what we saw today was that it was close,” he said. “Everything was on the quality of his serve, the quality of his return game. Hats off to him on that point. There’s a part of me that says ‘There are moments where I could play better’. I’m still a bit sour for some moments of the match.”

On court, the margins were razor-thin. After dropping serve with three early unforced errors, Auger-Aliassime quickly regrouped and began trading power from the baseline, forcing Jannik Sinner to stay sharp. Yet that lapse proved costly. According to TDI Insights, Sinner struck 43 of 46 forehands in play and registered a Shot Quality of 9.6, a near-perfect display of focus and precision.

The second set showed more of the same determination from the Canadian. He saved all five break points he faced, according to ATP Stats, but one loose forehand in the tie-break shifted the momentum for good. Sinner closed it out for his 23rd tour-level title and reclaimed the World No.1 spot.

Now, with Turin on the horizon and a home crowd waiting, the stage is set for the defending champion to push for title No.24. Will he make it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!