Sinner extended his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 28 matches, stretching back to his loss to Novak Djokovic in the final of this event two years ago.
It was Sinner’s fifth straight victory over Zverev, a run that includes this year’s Australian Open final and recent meetings in Vienna and Paris.
The second-ranked Sinner still has a chance to finish the year at world No.1, but he needs to win the tournament and hope that Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t win another match.
Sinner leads the Bjorn Borg group with two victories, while Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime have one win each and Ben Shelton trails without a victory.
The top two finishers in each group advance to the semis.
Sinner hasn’t even lost a set in this event since getting beaten by Djokovic in 2023. When he was challenged by Zverev, the Italian consistently raised his level.
Sinner saved two break points in the opening game of the match—both with aces. Then he battled back from 0-40 down to hold serve early in the second set. By the end, Sinner had saved all seven of the break points that he faced.
“I served very well on the important points,” Sinner, who also led 12-7 in aces, said.
“There weren’t that many long rallies.
“Sascha played great tennis, and I am very pleased with how I handled it.”
Zverev won the finals in 2018 and 2021.
AAP
