A few days after he called ranking no. 1 impossible, Jannik the Sinner it is now four wins from the arch past Carlos Alcaraz and returning to No.1. The Italian, whose 65-week reign at the top of the ATP rankings ended after the US Open, will make a second appearance as No.1 if he wins the title in Paris.
He is the heavy favorite to do so, given that he enters today’s round of 16 riding a 22-match winning streak on the hard court and Carlos Alcaraz has already been eliminated from the draw.
However, closing down the year-end No. 1 will be a tough challenge for Sinner. The 24-year-old has 1,500 points to defend for his unbeaten Nitto ATP Finals title win last year, while Alcaraz has just 200 points to defend for the 1-2 win in Turin.
Sinner would have a 250-point lead over Alcaraz if he wins the title in Paris, with the rest to be decided in Turin.
Alcaraz, in his fifth position at No. 1, has held the top spot for eight weeks, and 44 overall. He was defeated in his first match in Paris, falling to Cameron Norrie.
Sinner (65) and Alcaraz (44) are 12th and 14th, respectively, on the all-time ATP list for total weeks at No. 1.
