Alcaraz turns early chaos into Turin triumph
Carlos Alcaraz battled through a wild first set to overpower Alex de Minaur, launching his ATP Finals campaign with a straight-sets win that sharpens his edge in the year-end No. 1 race.
In the charged atmosphere of Turin's Pala Alpitour, Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his pursuit of a maiden ATP Finals title and the year-end No. 1 ranking with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 victory over Alex de Minaur. The top seed's opener marked his first win in such a match at the event, a gritty performance that blended raw power with timely adjustments on the fast indoor hard courts. As the crowd's anticipation built under the arena's lights, Alcaraz navigated the Australian's speed to set a confident tone for the round-robin battles ahead.
Navigating the first-set turbulence
Alcaraz grabbed an early edge, breaking de Minaur to love with deep inside-out forehands that exploited the seventh seed's backhand and pushed him wide on the quick surface. He threatened a double break in the sixth game, surging to 40-0 before de Minaur scrambled back to deuce, then saved a break point with a flat crosscourt forehand to hold. The Australian's retrieval skills turned the tide, as he broke right back using low underspin slices to disrupt Alcaraz's rhythm, forcing the set into a tiebreaker where de Minaur led 5-3 amid rising tension.
But the Spaniard steadied himself, shortening points with one–two combinations—serves followed by down-the-line backhands—to reel off the last four points and steal the set. This rally highlighted Alcaraz's mental reset, drawing on a season's worth of experience to counter de Minaur's elusiveness.
"This tournament is one of the best tournaments we have on tour, without a doubt," Alcaraz said. "We're playing against the best players in the world, which shows how difficult and important it is. I've been struggling in the past few years to come to the end of the year with motivation. This year is a little bit different, which I'm proud about, I'm doing the right things to give myself a shot to try and win this tournament."
Dominating the second-set shift
De Minaur struck first in the second set, breaking Alcaraz early with relentless crosscourt passing shots that capitalized on a momentary lapse in serve placement. The Spaniard responded immediately, breaking back through heavy topspin forehands that pinned his opponent deep and induced baseline errors on the low-bouncing court. From there, Alcaraz held with authority, varying his patterns to include inside-in approaches that drew de Minaur forward and exposed his net game.
He claimed the next five games unchallenged, sealing the match on his second match point with a precise crosscourt backhand winner that grazed the line. This surge not only overwhelmed de Minaur's defense but also underscored Alcaraz's tactical growth, transforming early vulnerability into commanding control as the crowd erupted in approval.
Group stakes fuel ranking pursuit
Alcaraz's win positions him strongly in the Jimmy Connors group, where he joins Taylor Fritz, de Minaur, and Lorenzo Musetti, the latter stepping in for the injured Novak Djokovic. Reaching the final here would lock in the year-end No. 1 spot for the Spaniard, regardless of results from defending champion Jannik Sinner in the Bjorn Borg group alongside two-time winner Alexander Zverev, debutant Ben Shelton, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. The top two from each group advance to the semifinals, amplifying every exchange in this elite field.
In the other opener, Zverev outlasted Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (6), wrapping the first set in just 28 minutes with deep returns and inside-in forehands that neutralized the American's powerful lefty serve. Shelton elevated his game in the second, racing to a 4-0 tiebreaker lead and saving chances before a wide backhand ceded the match after 93 minutes total. Zverev's composure under pressure mirrors the mental fortitude Alcaraz displayed, setting up a tournament where surface speed and endurance will test the leaders' resolve. As Alcaraz eyes his next hurdle against Fritz's big serving, this debut victory fuels his momentum toward a deep run and that elusive crown.
