ATP Tour

Sinner tops Zverev for third time in 17 days, reaches Turin SFs

Jannik Sinner sealed his place in the last four of the Nitto ATP Finals on Wednesday when he defeated Alexander Zverev for the third time in 17 days.

Aiming to defend his title at the season finale, the 24-year-old delivered a high-quality performance en route to a 6-4, 6-3 victory. Sinner holds a 2-0 record in the Bjorn Borg group and is yet to play Ben Shelton before competing in the semi-finals.

“A very, very competitive match, a very close match,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. “I felt like I was serving very well in important moments. I tried to play the best tennis possible when it mattered, which fortunately went my way.”

Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Sinner, Sinner 🔊🎟️@janniksin delivers the goods in front of his adoring home fans as he defeats Zverev 6-4 6-3 and qualifies for the semi-finals!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/OrW8XZcixO

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 12, 2025

Sinner earned his fifth consecutive win against the German and improved to 6-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry, a series that Zverev once led 4-1. Zverev’s last win against Sinner came at the 2023 US Open. Sinner beat Zverev in this year's Australian Open final and more recently in a three-set Vienna championship match, followed by a 6-0, 6-1 win in the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris.

“We both changed a little bit tactically, so I felt like we both were trying to hit quite fast, quite flat,” said Sinner, who struck 28 winners to Zverev's 17. “But I’m very happy with how I returned his serve. It’s very difficult. One of the best serves in the game. The group I’m in, with Sascha and Ben, it’s very difficult to return their serves.”

In pressure moments, the Italian showcased his trademark fortitude and unwavering composure. Zverev, who won the Nitto ATP Finals in 2018 and 2021, held two break points in the opening game of the match, both of which Sinner erased with aces. Sinner struck four aces in the first game alone and 12 for the match.

Sinner claimed a decisive break at 5-4 in the opener, clinching his third set point. He earned his first set point by winning a thrilling 17-ball rally that ended when Zverev mistimed a forehand. A dialled-in Sinner never wavered from his high intensity, feeding off the roar of his home crowd inside Inalpi Arena.

The 23-time tour-level champion relied on his serve in crucial moments. He saved all seven break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and landed his first serve on each of those occasions, including three consecutive points when trailing 0//40 in his second service game of the second set.

Still alive in the chase for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, Sinner must win the title this week as an undefeated champion and hope that Alcaraz does not record another victory. Alcaraz, already safely into the semi-finals, faces Sinner’s countryman Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday.

Sinner is on a 28-match winning streak on indoor hard courts since falling to Novak Djokovic in the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals championship match. Since then, Sinner has not dropped a set in Turin. Last year he became the first man to win the event without losing a set since 1986 (Ivan Lendl).