Jannik Sinner defeats Ben Shelton to reach Paris Masters semi-finals

The Italian star looked to be in control for the majority of the match despite a slow start, extending his winning run against Shelton to seven consecutive matches.

"I'm very happy," said Sinner to Sky Sports after the victory.

"It was a very, very tough match. You know this before the match against Ben, at times you don't have a lot of control because of his incredible serving, but today I felt like I was returning very well. Also, from the back of the court I played very solid and also very aggressive."

The win also helps Sinner close in on regaining the world number one ranking following Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz shock early exit against Britain's Cameron Norrie.

"At the moment I'm not thinking about the ranking. It's a consequence of how I'm playing," added the 24-year-old.

"We go day by day. Every day you have very difficult challenges coming up. Making semis here in Paris means a lot. It has been a very long season with some great, great results and I never take these results for granted."

Sinner will be playing his first semi-final in the French capital when he takes on defending champion Alexander Zverev at Centre Court on Saturday.