Jannik Sinner secured the world No. 1 men’s tennis rankings at the end of the year by beating Czech 30th seed Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-5 in the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters, completing a year close in which the Italian has won two grand slam titles.
Machac made a promising start by winning the first two games before Sinner got on the board, with the top seed turning the set around before wrapping it up in 44 minutes as his opponent started making the mistakes. Machac stepped back and provided an even sterner examination in the second set, but Sinner proved too solid for his fellow 23-year-old, making just nine unforced errors as he sealed his 64th win of the year.
Sinner will next face fourth-seeded record 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic or seventh-seeded American Taylor Fritz, who play in the second semi-final later on Saturday. The Italian’s dominant season saw him win his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open and his second at the US Open. He is the first Italian to end the year as world number 1 and the first man from his country to reach the final in Shanghai.
“It’s great. It’s something you dream about as a child, when you’re young. Just to reach the number one spot now, but to experience the end of the year – it’s also a different and special feeling,” said Sinner. “But this happened during the tournament. So I don’t even think about that. I know tomorrow will be an important day, but it obviously means so much to me. This is something I couldn’t achieve without the people, family and friends I have. Thanks to my team.”
At the Wuhan Open, reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka fought back from a stumble in the first set to beat Coco Gauff 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 in their semi-final. The 26-year-old now has the chance to win the tournament – which was last held in 2018 – for the third time in a row.
Gauff, who has made some grip changes with new coach Matt Daly, was undermined by committing 21 double faults, allowing Sabalenka to turn the tide after losing the first set.
Initially, Sabalenka struggled against the might of the world number 4, with the Belarusian finding it difficult to control her returns when the American got the first serve right, repeatedly overshooting the lines or finding the net. Former US Open champion Gauff broke twice to build a 5-0 lead as Sabalenka could only hold once in the first set.
Sabalenka started the second set on an aggressive note and began to find success while Gauff struggled to hold her own serve. Nervous second serves saw the double faults pile up quickly and Sabalenka was able to build pressure by leaning on her power game, winning four games in a row to take the second set 6-4.
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In the third set, Sabalenka led 4-1 before Gauff rallied to break and cut the score to 4-4. However, Sabalenka took control again and got another break to win the match.
“A few mistakes from her and I thought maybe I still have that [a] chance in this match. It was a very important victory,” Sabalenka said in the post-match interview.
The Belarusian will face the winner of an all-Chinese semi-final between fifth seed Zheng Qinwen, who won Olympic gold in Paris this year, and Wang Xinyu later on Saturday. “I am very happy to be in the final. One more to go and I will do everything I can to win this beautiful trophy for the third time,” said Sabalenka. “It will be a great match.”