By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, November 14, 2025
Photo credit: Erste Bank Open Facebook
Electric expectations embrace Jannik Sinner when he steps on the Turin stage before adoring Italian fans.
Unleashing pyrotechnic power, Sinner defused explosive Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(3) scoring his eighth straight win at the ATP Finals today.
Showing sky-high ceiling indoors, Sinner stretched his indoor hard-court winning streak to 29 matches.
Reigning champion Sinner has won 16 straight sets at Turin—he hasn’t surrendered a set in Turin since bowing to seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the 2023 final—and completed round-robin play with a perfect 3-0 record to win the Bjorn Borg Group.
Irresistible @janniksin 😰
Sinner fends off Shelton to extend his indoor winning run!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/0UziXc0hic
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 14, 2025
Facing the lethal lefty Shelton serve, Sinner made a serving statement. Sinner served 75 percent, nearly doubled Shelton’s ace output—11 to 6—fired five game-ending aces and extended an impressive streak. Sinner, who saved the only break point he faced in the fourth game, has not surrendered serve in Turin this week.
“Every match is challenging, especially against Ben, incredible serve,” Sinner told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “At times you have some small looks, you know, to break. But at the end of the day if he’s serving bombs, it’s very difficult.
“At the same time, it’s been an amazing week until now. Seeing myself again in the semis in my home country, it’s very, very special for me. Today, I served well in the important moments. But mostly, the mental aspect has been great. I’m happy to be here. I’m someone who wants to win as many matches as possible, which I’ve done. I’m very happy to be in the semis and let’s see what’s coming.”
Nobody adores Jannik quite like Torino ❤️🇮🇹@janniksin #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/yRy4XGpDwC
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 14, 2025
ATP Finals debutant Shelton concludes his week winless in three round-robin matches. Shelton took the court with a shot to secure the year-end American No. 1 ranking and played a good match today. Shelton is the first man over the last two years to test Sinner to a tiebreaker set, but ultimately his two-handed backhand could not stand up to Sinner’s suffocating baseline strikes as he dropped to 1-8 lifetime against the world No. 2. Shelton showed signs of why he can be so dangerous when he’s landing his ballistic serve to set up that lefty forehand strike, but his weaker backhand wing was exposed in extended rallies and he couldn’t get to the net enough in suffering his eighth straight defeat to Sinner.
“Everybody is wired differently. Me coming back from being out for a while [after US Open injury], it takes me a little bit to find my rhythm,” Shelton told the media in Turin. “Trying to do that at the end of the year when guys are really, really in good form is difficult.
“For me, I’ll find it. I’ll find my movement, all the different shots around the court that I need. Today I played a good match from the baseline, from the net. I just honestly got out-served. That was kind of the theme all three matches I played here: the guys served better than me. That’s not a biggest concern. I know I have a great serve.”
The loss means 2024 finalist Taylor Fritz, who was eliminated from semifinal contention in a 7-6(3), 6-3 defeat to Alex de Minaur yesterday, retains the year-end American No. 1 ranking. Fritz is No. 5 in the ATP Live Rankings, while Shelton, who took the court ranked No. 5, wraps a strong season that saw him win his maiden Masters crown in Toronto, drops to No. 9 in the ATP Live Rankings.
The second-ranked Sinner’s serve has been so indestructible in Turin you almost wonder if he’s wielding a steel stick. In the second set, the bumper guard at the top of Sinner’s Head racquet was dislodged and that was really the only slight sight of fissure in his imposing game.
It’s a problematic match-up for Shelton because the lanky Sinner can use his wide wing span to slam back returns on the stretch and because Sinner can deconstruct the Shelton stiff-arm backhand, which is the American’s weaker wing.
It didn’t take long for Sinner to make a return statement.
The reigning champion drew two backhand misses breaking to open the match. Sinner sent an ace out wide to confirm the break for 2-0.
Though an assertive Shelton earned a break-back point in the fourth game he could not convert. Sinner navigated a challenging deuce hold for 3-1.
Straddling the baseline, Sinner not only forced Shelton into extended exchanges, he sometimes burned him vaporizing drives down the line.
Sinner scalded a forehand strike down the line for two set points in the ninth game. Shelton saved the first but slapped a forehand into net on the second. Sinner scored his second break to snatch a one-set lead after 39 minutes.
In the second set, Sinner showcased his pyrotechnic power and damaging drives whipping a wide ace to hold for 4-3. Shelton stamped a love hold—his third shutout hold of the set—to even after eight games.
Two games later, Sinner earned match point on Shelton’s serve. The fifth-seeded American hammered a short forehand down the line to save match point. Shelton shot a diagonal forehand into the corner holding to forge a 5-all deadlock.
Tested to a tiebreaker in Turin for the first time since his 2023 semifinal victory over Daniil Medvedev, Sinner was swinging freely from the start.
The Wimbledon winner banged a backhand down the line behind Shelton for the mini break and a 2-1 lead. Two points later, Sinner swept his 11th ace extending to 4-1.
“Here, indoor courts, he’s hitting the lines a lot on the serve. Pinpoint accuracy,” Shelton said of Sinner’s serve. “It’s easier to serve indoors in general.
“If you look at the three guys I played, how tight they were on the lines. He was probably the closest of the three. But it’s a small difference between him, Zverev and Felix, what they’ve been doing this tournament.”
A superb Shelton backhand stab volley helped him close the gap to 3-4, but that was Shelton’s last stand in the breaker.
Standing right in the center of the court, Sinner stepped around the ball like a master matador and crushed a 98 mph inside-out forehand winner for 5-3 and backed it up with a deft backhand volley for match points at 6-3.
When Shelton’s backhand failed him again, Sinner was the winner in one hour, 34 minutes.
Bjorn Borg champion Sinner will face de Minaur in tomorrow’s semifinals with year-end world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz squaring off against the winner of today’s final round-robin match between two-time former champion Alexander Zverev and two-time US Open semifinalist Felix Auger-Aliassime.
When looking ahead to future rounds, Sinner has a habit of using the phrase “let’s see what’s coming”
If past is prologue, Demon destruction may well loom ahead. Sinner is 12-0 lifetime vs. de Minaur, including winning seven of eight sets they’ve played in 2025.
“I feel this is a very unique place to play tennis, especially for me being Italian,” Sinner said. “You know, we have only a couple of chances [at home], which is Rome and here and that’s it.
“I just try to make the home crowd happy. I try to bring some good and calm energy at the end of the day they want to watch some good tennis matches and we are here trying to provide that. To do so, you need to play the best players in the world. I’m happy to be one of them and I’m happy to be in the semis. It is a special place, it is a place where I feel comfortable playing. So let’s see what’s coming tomorrow.”
