Sinner secures year-end No. 1 with 64th season win

Jannik Sinner won his 64th match of the season to clinch the year-end world No. 1 ranking as he moved into the final of the Shanghai Masters on Saturday.

The Italian who is chasing a seventh title of the season held off a Czech challenge from Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-5, producing 27 winners and just nine unforced errors.

Machac struck in the first game of the match as he broke Sinner  but was unable to make a further impression in the semi-final a day after upsetting Carlos Alcaraz.

Sinner heads to the final, where he awaits an opponent from Novak Djokovic and American Taylor Fritz.

The Italian winner will figure in his third Masters 1000 final of the season after winning Miami and Cincinnati.

“This has been a tough mental week, I had to stay calm” he said. “Not every match is going to be the same.

“You have to play every one in the best possible way.” 

He added;  “Becoming year-end No. 1 is amazing, it’s what you dream of as a kid.

“Having a year like this is a special feeling, but I’m not thinking about that now.

“Tomorrow is an important day with the final ahead.”

The 23-year-old who won the Australian and US Opens this season, will be competing in back-to-back finals after facing Alcaraz eight days ago in Beijing.