Alcaraz powers into Sinner final at ATP Finals
Carlos Alcaraz's semifinal demolition of Felix Auger-Aliassime ignites a blockbuster showdown with Jannik Sinner, capping a season of shared dominance with one last test of wills on Turin's fast courts.
In the pulsing heart of Turin's Inalpi Arena, Carlos Alcaraz unleashed a torrent of brilliance to claim his first berth in the Nitto ATP Finals championship match, halting Felix Auger-Aliassime's late-season surge with a 6-2, 6-4 victory that lasted one hour and 23 minutes. The 22-year-old, fresh from lifting the ATP Year-end No. 1 presented by PIF trophy the previous day, moved with the unshakeable poise of a player who has conquered every surface this year. As the capacity crowd leaned into every rally, Alcaraz's shots cut through the indoor air, blending raw power with pinpoint control to set up a seismic clash against his fiercest rival, Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz's display carried the psychological weight of a season spent trading blows at the top, where he and Sinner split all four majors and claimed 13 titles between them, including four ATP Masters 1000 crowns. He entered this semifinal on a Tour-leading path to his 11th final of 2025, his mind sharpened by the honor of year-end supremacy. Against Auger-Aliassime, who climbed from No. 27 in August to finish at No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings with a trophy in Brussels, a final in Paris, and semifinals at the US Open, Alcaraz dictated from the baseline, his inside-out forehands pinning the Canadian deep while drop shots pulled him forward.
“I felt like I could do everything on court,” Alcaraz said on his first-set display. “It didn’t matter if I did forehand down the line, drop shot or backhand down the line, I felt that everything was going to be in. I think that confidence helped through the whole match, pushing him to the limit, pushing him to do something different and I am happy that I continued playing such great tennis.”
Confidence fuels first-set dominance
Alcaraz seized the opener with ruthless efficiency, breaking serve at 3-1 after a fierce crosscourt backhand exchange that ended with a feathered drop shot drawing Auger-Aliassime to the net. The Canadian scrambled back with a desperate down-the-line pass, but Alcaraz stretched full length to volley into the open court, the point's drama echoing through the arena like a declaration of intent. He racked up 13 winners against just two unforced errors, his one–two combinations of serve and inside-out forehand exploiting the low-bouncing indoor surface to keep rallies crisp and conclusive.
This mental clarity, forged in the fires of a grueling campaign, allowed him to drop only one set en route to the semifinals, transforming the pressure of Turin into propulsion. Auger-Aliassime's resilience shone in the second set, where longer exchanges tested Alcaraz's adaptability, but the Spaniard varied his serves—wide slices to the deuce side mixing with body jabs—to blunt the returns. The breakthrough came in the 10th game, as four unforced errors from the Canadian gifted the match, extending Alcaraz's head-to-head lead to 5-3 and marking him as the first Spaniard in this championship spot since Rafael Nadal in 2013.
Tactical shifts target Sinner's streak
Now, Alcaraz turns his focus to Sunday's final at 6 p.m. CET, where he must disrupt Jannik Sinner's 30-match indoor winning streak amid the roar of a home crowd in Turin. Holding a 4-1 edge over the Italian this season—10–5 overall—the World No. 1 knows victory demands his plan A executed without flaw, blending aggressive inside-in forehands with sharper underspin to counter Sinner's flat backhand crosscourts and precise serving. Both arrive undefeated this week, their rivalry's intensity amplified by the surface's speed, which favors quick points and minimal recovery time.
Alcaraz revealed his mindset sharpens uniquely against Sinner, pushing both to elevate their games in a way that thrills the fans. He aims to join Alex Corretja as the second Spaniard to claim this trophy since 1998, drawing on improved indoor sliding and net rushes honed through the year. The Italian's fortress-like play on these courts tests every layer of Alcaraz's arsenal, from varied depth in rallies to bold approaches that turn defense into decisive offense, setting the stage for a finale that could redefine their season-long duel.
Rivalry promises season's sharpest edge
This matchup distills the psychological and tactical threads of 2025, where shared excellence has bred mutual respect laced with competitive fire. Alcaraz's sprawling volleys and drop-shot artistry must pierce Sinner's baseline consistency, while the crowd's energy adds another variable to the Italian's advantage. As the arena lights dim on a year of majors and masters, their clash offers a pure distillation of elite tennis—resilience meeting precision in the quest for the ultimate crown.
