Italy’s Jannik Sinner began his pursuit of a first-ever Paris Masters title and a potential return to world number one with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory over Belgium’s Zizou Bergs on Wednesday.
Sinner entered the tournament knowing that a title win in the French capital would see him reclaim the top spot in the ATP rankings, following Carlos Alcaraz’s early exit in the round of 32. However, the 24-year-old Italian showed no sign of pressure in his first match at La Défense Arena, where the top eight seeds were given byes into the second round.
“I’m very happy to come through the first match,” Sinner said afterward. “I was very precise, and starting with an early break gave me a lot of confidence.”
Displaying trademark composure and precision, the four-time Grand Slam champion needed just one hour and 27 minutes to dispatch world number 41 Bergs without facing a single break point. Sinner secured breaks early in both sets to book a third-round meeting with Francisco Cerundolo on Thursday.
Meanwhile, defending champion Alexander Zverev endured a tense three-set battle to stay in contention, defeating Argentina’s Camilo Ugo Carabelli 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 7-5. After dropping the opening set in a tight tiebreak, Zverev rebounded strongly in the second before staging a comeback from 1-3 down in the decider. The German eventually sealed the crucial break at 5-5 to close out the match and advance.
Zverev will next face Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who beat Frenchman Arthur Cazaux earlier in the day.
Elsewhere, Casper Ruud the tournament’s eighth seed was eliminated in straight sets by Germany’s Daniel Altmaier (6-3, 7-5), while Daniil Medvedev advanced to the third round via walkover following Grigor Dimitrov’s withdrawal due to a shoulder injury. Dimitrov’s return from a previous pectoral issue lasted just one match before the setback.
In another all-Italian clash, Lorenzo Sonego defeated Lorenzo Musetti in three sets, a result that could impact Musetti’s hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin. Meanwhile, Canadian ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime edged France’s Alexandre Muller 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in a grueling encounter.
Earlier in the day, Valentin Vacherot defeated his cousin Arthur Rinderknech in a repeat of their Shanghai Masters final, earning a spot against Britain’s Cameron Norrie the player who stunned Alcaraz on Tuesday.
It was a disappointing day for the home crowd as French hopeful Corentin Moutet bowed out in straight sets to Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, who lightheartedly joked post-match that Moutet at least “didn’t have far to go” after the loss.
Rounding off the day’s action, Karen Khachanov battled past Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 to set up a round-of-16 clash with Australian sixth seed Alex de Minaur.
