Auger-Aliassime enters Paris Masters semis; Sabalenka eyes first WTA Finals title in Riyadh

Felix Auger-Aliassime cruised to a straight-sets victory over Valentin Vacherot on Friday to reach the Paris Masters semi-finals and keep his bid to qualify for the ATP Finals alive.

The Canadian had come from a set down in all three of his previous matches at the La Defense Arena but eased past surprise Shanghai Masters champion Vacherot 6-2, 6-2.

He could overhaul Lorenzo Musetti for the eighth and last ATP Finals berth by reaching the final, although Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Bublik also remain in the hunt.

“He (Vacherot) is so confident and you are kind of scared to be honest,” Auger-Aliassime said.

Vacherot’s remarkable run of 10 successive wins in Masters events came to an end. He won the Shanghai tournament earlier this month as a 204th-ranked qualifier.

The Monegasque is still set to break into the world’s top 30 after another impressive performance in Paris as a wildcard.

Earlier, Jannik Sinner eased past Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 6-1 on Thursday to set up a quarter-final clash with Ben Shelton, while reigning champion Alexander Zverev earned a straight-sets win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round.

A maiden crown in the French capital will return Sinner to number one in the world rankings after current incumbent Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock early exit at the hands of Britain’s Cameron Norrie.

The Italian four-time Grand Slam champion is yet to drop a set in the tournament as he hones in on what would be a fifth title of the season.

Shelton beat Russia’s Andrey Rublev 7-6 (8/6), 6-3 to reach the last eight.

Zverev continued his title defence with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Spanish 15th seed Davidovich Fokina in the day’s final match-up.

The German third seed will next meet an old foe in former world number one Daniil Medvedev, who fought past Lorenzo Sonego of Italy in three sets.

Meanwhile, Aryna Sabalenka will aim to reinforce her status as the world’s top player by winning her first WTA Finals title in Riyadh as the season finale gets underway on Saturday with all four of the year’s Grand Slam champions featuring in a strong field.

The Belarusian exemplified consistency in 2025 and arrives for the November 1-8 tournament having retained her US Open title in September, after finishing runner-up to Madison Keys at the Australian Open and Coco Gauff at Roland Garros. The only Grand Slam final she failed to reach was at Wimbledon, where Iga Swiatek defeated Amanda Anisimova.

“It’s easier when you qualify early in the season but I’m super excited,” said Sabalenka, who punched her ticket to the WTA Finals in July.

“Honestly I cannot wait to get back. I love that place, I love to play there, and I hope that this year I can do better than I did last year.”

Martina Navratilova said the 27-year-old’s sustained high-level performances made her the favourite in the eight-player line-up.

“Her consistency is not to be underestimated,” 18-times Grand Slam singles champion Navratilova told the WTA website.

“There are so many players you can lose to these days, you have to be on your game at all times, and she was.

“She’s the heavy favourite on any surface but particularly on medium-pace hard courts where you get a solid bounce and good footing.

“It’s fast enough for her to do damage and slow enough for her to prepare for her shots. She’s deadly on this stuff.”

World number two Swiatek failed to capture a fourth successive French Open trophy in June but excelled on grass a month later to win her first Wimbledon title.

The 24-year-old Pole, whose season stalled late last year when she served a month-long doping ban following a positive test for trimetazidine due to contaminated sleep medication, has won hardcourt titles in Cincinnati and Seoul this season and has been pleased with her “solid performances” this year.

Agencies