Zverev saves match points to set up Sinner semifinal at Paris Masters

PARIS (AP) — Alexander Zverev saved two match points to overcame Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) and keep alive his Paris Masters title defense on Friday.

Zverev ended a five-match, two-year losing streak against Medvedev.

No. 3-ranked Zverev will play No. 2 Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. They just met in the Vienna final last weekend when Sinner won 7-5 in the third. Their head to head is at 4-4.

Zverev saved both match points against Medvedev on serve at 4-5 in the deciding set. Medvedev, who beat Zverev in the 2020 Paris final, rallied in the tiebreaker to 5-5 but Zverev pulled away again to win after 2 1/2 hours.

“Daniil is kind of my kryptonite, I don't like playing him,” Zverev said in his on-court interview. “He's somebody who has had my number for the last couple of years. I'm very pleased with the win for sure. Against Jannik, we had a fantastic match last Sunday. I'm happy to be on court with him again. Hopefully we share another great match.”

Sinner dismissed No. 7 Ben Shelton 6-3, 6-3 to reach the Paris semifinals for the first time and move closer to regaining the No. 1 ranking.

Sinner's seventh straight win over the American also extended his indoor winning streak to 24 matches dating to November 2023.

If Sinner takes the Paris title, what would be his first Masters trophy of the year, he will return to No. 1 on Monday.

Felix Auger-Aliassime ended wild card Valentin Vacherot’s impressive run in Paris by 6-2, 6-2 in their quarterfinal.

Vacherot had won his previous 10 Masters matches — including his first title in Shanghai this month — but Auger-Aliassime proved too strong for the Monegasque player as he advanced to his fourth Masters semifinal.

“He is so confident and you are kind of scared to be honest,” Auger-Aliassime said. “You are not sure if he has got some magic right now that nobody else has. I had to be so focused from the start and this level of intensity ... helped ease me into the match.”

Auger-Aliassime has reached 10 tour semifinals this season, second only to Carlos Alcaraz, and gone on to win titles in Adelaide, Montpellier and Brussels.

The Canadian will face Alexander Bublik after the Kazakh ousted sixth-seeded Alex de Minaur 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5 without dropping serve.

Bublik has won 30 of 37 matches since the French Open and four titles, and he's the first Kazakh to reach a Masters semifinal.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Russia's Daniil Medvedev hellps Germany's Alexander Zverev during a quarterfinal match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament in Paris, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025.((AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik celebrates after winning a quarterfinal match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament against Australia's Alex de Minaur in Paris, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns to Ben Shelton of the United States during a quarterfinal match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament in Paris, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025.((AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime returns to Monaco's Valentin Vacherot during their quarterfinal match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament in Paris, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Monaco's Valentin Vacherot returns to Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime during their quarterfinal match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament in Paris, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime runs during quarterfinal match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament against Monaco's Valentin Vacherot in Paris, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime reacts after winning quarterfinal match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament against Monaco's Valentin Vacherot in Paris, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Monaco's Valentin Vacherot reacts during quarterfinal match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament against Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime in Paris, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.

Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.

Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.

Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.

Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."

Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”

Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)