Turin

Since the US Open, Sinner has focused on being more aggressive with his serving – which led to him being broken only once during his five matches in Turin – and playing with more variety.

Both facets were evident against Alcaraz.

When Alcaraz had a chance to win the first set at 6-5 on Sinner’s serve, the Italian nervelessly sent down a 117mph second serve to his opponent’s backhand to save the break point.

A pair of unreturnable first serves followed and enabled Sinner to force a tie-break which he then controlled.

In the second set, with Alcaraz hampered by a hamstring injury which required strapping, Sinner began to use more drop shots and it was notably one which saved a break point in the seventh game.

Breaking Alcaraz again in what proved to be the final game meant Sinner lifted the trophy without dropping a set.

“You are definitely a player I look up to,” Sinner, who stretched his unbeaten record indoors to 31 matches, told Alcaraz in his winner’s speech.

“[You give me] a lot of motivation – I need this – in every practice session with a big, big purpose.

“I hope to see you again next year with, hopefully, great, great battles ahead of us.”

The tickertape had not even settled on the Turin court.

Yet the platitudes exchanged by the pair – who appear to have a genuine warmth in a relationship – indicated they are already looking forward to locking horns again in the 2026 season.

A lot of tennis fans are also licking their lips about seeing Sinner and Alcaraz going head-to-head again – and lamenting it will not happen again for at least another couple of months.

A rendezvous in the Australian Open final, with Sinner looking to defend his Melbourne crown and Alcaraz aiming to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, would be their dream.

On the evidence of this season and this latest encounter, few would bet against it.

Jannik Sinner extends his unbeaten indoor hardcourt record to 28 matches with straight sets win over Alexander Zverev.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner reached the semifinals of the ATP Finals with a 6-4 6-3 win over two-time winner Alexander Zverev on Wednesday, with Ben Shelton eliminated after losing earlier to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the same group.

Italy’s Sinner extended his indoor hardcourt winning streak to 28 matches, but victory over his German rival was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggests, with the world No 2 under pressure early in both sets.

“A very, very competitive match, a very close match,” Sinner said. “I felt like I was serving very well in important moments. I tried to play the best tennis possible when it mattered, which fortunately went my way.”

The pair, the only two previous ATP Finals champions in this year’s competition in Italy, had both won their opening Bjorn Borg Group matches.

Zverev fails to capitalise on break opportunities

On Wednesday, Sinner faced seven break points compared with Zverev’s four but pulled out aces and delightful drop shots when it counted.

Sinner made a slow start, facing two break points in the opening game, but found four aces at vital points to hold after nine minutes. He let slip two break points at 5-4 up before racing to the net to outwit Zverev and take the first set.

Sinner came back from 0-40 to hold his first service game of the second set, and Zverev forced another break point when the Italian next served, but the champion’s composure never wavered and he broke to lead 4-2, a sliced drop shot the winning point.

Zverev responded by taking a 30-40 lead in the following game, but Sinner held firm. At one stage, a whipped backhand down the line had the German shaking his head in disbelief, and he fell to his third loss to Sinner in 17 days, while the Turin crowd rose to acclaim the Italian.

Sinner must retain his title undefeated to have any chance of ending the year as world number one, while Carlos Alcaraz needs one more match win to stay top of the rankings.

Alcaraz, with two wins from two, faces Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday, with Taylor Fritz meeting Alex de Minaur in the other match of the tournament’s second Jimmy Connors Group.

Auger-Aliassime earns first win

Canada’s Auger-Aliassime, who lost his opener against Sinner, came from a set down to beat Shelton 4-6 7-6(7) 7-5, to leave the American without a win after his defeat against Zverev.

Shelton powered through the opening set, but Auger-Aliassime forced a decider with a tiebreak victory in the second and broke serve to convert a third match point in the final set.

The American lost his cool when failing to serve out for the first set, launching his racket in frustration when Auger-Aliassime made it 5-4, but Shelton broke again.

In the second set tiebreak, where Shelton fell and hurt his knee, Auger-Aliassime took a 3-0 lead. Shelton managed to save three set points before a double fault ended his valiant effort.

The Canadian held break points at 2-1 up in the final set but had to wait until the final game, where Shelton was guilty of gifting match points, and Auger-Aliassime did not refuse.

Auger-Aliassime will face Zverev on Friday, with a semifinal place on the line.

Sixth seed Fritz, the 2024 runner-up, matched Alcaraz for much of their absorbing meeting. But Alcaraz, as he so often does, just found another gear to turn the match around.

An opening four games lasting 30 minutes set the tone, with both players exchanging breaks in lengthy service games.

Fritz, who won the pair’s most recent indoor meeting at the Laver Cup in September, missed two break points in the eighth game, but maintained pressure and seized control of the tie-break to deservedly claim a 70-minute first set.

Alcaraz earned a crucial hold of serve after an eighth deuce in a captivating 14-minute fifth game of the second set, pointing to his ear as he lapped up the crowd’s appreciation after saving two break points.

Fritz overcame his first test of the second set to seal an important hold for 4-4 but he could not escape four games later when, seemingly from nowhere, a rare double fault contributed to a 0-40 deficit – and Alcaraz took his opportunity.

Fritz continued to go toe-to-toe with his opponent and ended the match with 75% first serves in, but Alcaraz took full advantage when his level eventually dipped.

Breaking for a 4-2 lead, Alcaraz sought to finish in style and landed a spectacular overhead backhand drop shot to reach a third match point on Fritz’s serve.

Fritz rightfully received the adoration of the crowd for hanging in the contest, only for a free-flowing Alcaraz to serve out the match to love.

“It was tight. I felt I was struggling more than him,” Alcaraz added.

“I was really relieved after the win because of everything I went through physically. I’m really happy that I found a way to come back and find his weaknesses.”

Jannik Sinner begins his ATP Finals title defence with victory against Felix Auger-Aliassime on home soil in Italy.

Italy’s Jannik Sinner began his bid to retain the ATP Finals title with a resounding 7-5, 6-1 win over injury-hit Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in their round-robin clash at a packed Inalpi Arena in Turin on Monday.

The pair were meeting for the fourth time since August, and eight days after their last clash, with the outcome the same as Sinner eased into the match before overpowering Auger-Aliassime, who needed medical attention during the second set.

Sinner extended his incredible indoor hardcourt winning streak to 27 matches, his last defeat on the surface coming against Novak Djokovic in the 2023 ATP Finals decider.

The 24-year-old is also in a battle with Carlos Alcaraz to end the year as world number one. Sinner must retain his title in Turin to have any chance, while the Spaniard can secure the prize by winning two more matches after victory in his opener.

Sinner began with intent by winning the first game to love and went on to give up just three points on serve in the opening set while forcing five break points, displaying an impressive mixture of sharp backhand and forehand shots down the line.

Auger-Aliassime hung in, smashing eight aces to Sinner’s one during the first set, often at just the right time as he saved four break points, but the Italian came through when it mattered, breaking to win the set.

“It was a very tough match until 6-5. I had some chances to break,” Sinner said.

“He played some very aggressive tennis, so I’m happy to overcome a very tough test today. Obviously, winning the first match is very important in this competition and this format.”

Sinner stormed into a 3-0 lead in the second, and his opponent took a medical timeout for a problem in his left calf.

“I hope it’s nothing too serious,” Sinner said.

“I wish him obviously a very speedy recovery, and hopefully he is back to 100 percent physically.”

Auger-Aliassime saved two break points to avoid losing touch completely before Sinner sank the Canadian with another break to leave the Italian serving for the match, which he did in style, hammering home an ace to clinch the win.

While the Canadian struggled in the second set, Sinner began to enjoy himself, playing some deft drop shots to the delight of his home crowd, who rose to their feet to acclaim the win.

On Sunday, German Alexander Zverev beat American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(6) in the other Bjorn Borg Group match. All four players in the group will meet each other, with the top two qualifying for the semifinals.

Tuesday’s action features the Jimmy Connors Group, where Alcaraz takes on last year’s finalist Taylor Fritz, with both players on one win each, and Italian Lorenzo Musetti faces Australian Alex de Minaur.