Sinner surges past Auger-Aliassime in Turin opener

In the buzzing confines of Turin's Pala Alpitour, Jannik Sinner kicked off his title defense with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime, a performance that blended steady baseline work with sharp opportunism on the swift indoor hard courts. The Italian crowd's energy crackled from the first ball, turning the arena into a cauldron of support as Sinner absorbed early power and waited for the shift. This win, his fourth against the Canadian this season, extends his unbeaten streak in Turin since last year's flawless run to the title.

Weathering the first-set storm

Sinner faced a gritty opener where Auger-Aliassime's booming serves and crosscourt forehands tested his footing, forcing defensive redirects and patient rallies from the baseline. At 6-5, the momentum cracked as the No. 8 seed's left calf tightened, slowing his splits and slice backhands, which trainers tended to twice in the second set. Sinner pounced with inside-out forehands that stretched the court wide, converting the break and unleashing a one–two rhythm that turned the match into a rout, his first serve claiming 89% of points—32 out of 36—to lock down holds against the power game.

The physical dip in his opponent echoed Sinner's own season of endurance, where consistency has shielded him from the weight of chasing year-end No. 1. To claim that ranking, he must hoist the ATP Finals trophy and hope Carlos Alcaraz stops short of the final, a high-wire act that sharpens every point in this elite eight-player field. Sinner noted the turning point afterward, his tone measured amid the cheers.

Channeling home energy for focus

A sign dubbing Sinner "Italian pride" bobbed in the stands, and post-match chants of "Ole, ole, ole. Sin-ner, Sin-ner" filled the air like a soccer stadium, amplifying his connection to the venue where he dropped no sets en route to last year's crown—his only loss here the 2023 final to Novak Djokovic. That affinity fueled a display of mental steel, holding firm in a group stacked with servers like Alexander Zverev, who edged Ben Shelton on Sunday to join him at the top of the Bjorn Borg standings. With the top two advancing to semifinals, Sinner's serve reliability stands as a bulwark against breaks that can cascade on these fast courts.

He reflected on the group's demands, emphasizing the need for constant vigilance. Sinner added a touch of warmth about the tournament's pull.

Parallel tests in the other group

Across the draw, Taylor Fritz steadied his Jimmy Connors group campaign with a 6-3, 6-4 win over late replacement Lorenzo Musetti, adapting to the Italian's underspin slices and varied one–two patterns after a week of indoor prep honed his responses. Fritz, leveraging his 2022 semifinal and runner-up finish last year, repelled early break chances with inside-in forehands and down-the-line backhands, settling into a groove that exploited Musetti's fatigue from arriving in Turin only on Sunday following Djokovic's shoulder withdrawal after their Athens final. The American now leads alongside Alcaraz, both with one win, while Alex de Minaur and Musetti sit with losses, setting up Tuesday's pivotal clashes—Fritz against Alcaraz, Musetti versus de Minaur.

Musetti fought through the haze, his crafty lobs and crosscourt angles keeping it close until the physical toll mounted. Fritz acknowledged the adjustment required, his voice carrying the satisfaction of a hard-earned start.

Musetti expressed quiet resolve despite the shortfall. As the round-robin unfolds, Sinner's poised launch hints at a path where tactical edges and crowd-fueled resolve could carry him deep, turning seasonal pressures into another Turin triumph.