Sinner succumbs to late-night Paris pressure

A fatigued Jannik Sinner withdrew on Thursday before his third-round Paris Masters match, handing Alex de Minaur a trip into the quarter-finals.

Scheduling at the last major event prior to the ATP Finals starting a week from Sunday in Turin proved to be a killer for the world No. 4 who has already qualified into the eight-man Finals field.

The 21-year-old completed a three-set second-round win over Mackenzie Mcdonald in the early hours of Thursday and was due to take to the court less than 15 hours later.

Each of the first three nights of the event have stretched well into the next day due to organisers’ insistence of cramming six matches per day onto the show court.

Final matches each evening have started around midnight.

Complaints from around the sport have been mounting as Paris officials continue the charade each year.

The otherwise nondescript Masters is notorious for scheduling problems.

Reports indicate the event might be in its last iteration at the Bercy arena, with the event poised either to move elsewhere in the Paris surrounds or even leave the country should the event’s license be bought from the French federation by outside interests.