Rolex Shanghai Masters—Shanghai, China
Sinner Clinches Year-End No. 1; Reaches Shanghai Final; Sabalenka Goes for Three-Peat in Wuhan
Saturday’s action at the Rolex Shanghai Masters saw world No. 1 Jannik Sinner reach the finals in convincing fashion, defeating Tomas MacHac 6-4, 7-5.
The Italian’s victory also sealed his world No. 1 ranking for the year. The first for an Italian player.
Needing one hour and 43 minutes to prevail, Sinner struck 10 aces, won 74 percent of his first serve points, broke serve on three occasions and hit 28 winners in total.
Aiming to win his seventh title of the year, Sinner will next face No. 4 seed and four-time winner Novak Djokovic. Djokovic improved to 10-0 against Taylor Fritz by ousting the American 6-4, 7-6(6).
Sinner has won the last two meetings against Djokovic, with the Serb leading their overall head-to-head 4-3.
Djokovic will be looking to win his 100th career title on Sunday. The Serbian legend has won every significant tournament throughout his illustrious career.
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Dongfeng Voyah · Wuhan Open—Wuhan, China
Top seed Aryna Sabalenka marched into the finals of the Wuhan Open on Saturday, dispatching No. 4 seed and recent Beijing Open winner Coco Gauff 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Looking to win her third-straight title in Wuhan, Sabalenka needed two hours and 26 minutes to advance. Striking two aces, Sabalenka also won 64 percent of her first serve points and broke serve on six occasions.
Tying her head-to-head meetings with Gauff at 4-all, Sabalenka will next face No. 5 seed Qinwen Zheng in a dream final. Zheng defeated country-woman Xinyu Wang 6-4, 6-4 later in the day.
Sabalenka, who is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, trails world No. 1 Iga Swiatek only 419 points.
Zheng, who became a national hero after winning the Olympic Gold medal in Paris, is currently ranked No. 7 on the WTA.
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