Alcaraz Starts Strong at ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz began his campaign at the ATP Finals in Turin on a high note by defeating the resilient Alex de Miñaur 7-6 (5), 6-2 in one hour and 42 minutes. The Spaniard, who needs two more victories to secure the year-end number one ranking, dispelled doubts following his early exit in Paris and reaffirmed his favoritism in a group weakened by Novak Djokovic's withdrawal, which also includes the Australian, Lorenzo Musetti, whose physical condition is uncertain after exerting himself in Athens, and Taylor Fritz.

Despite having always beaten De Miñaur, including two wins this year, Alcaraz struggled against the never-give-up spirit of the Australian of Spanish descent, who was one point away from trailing 5-1 in the first set but rose from the ashes.

With a 4-1 lead and his opponent serving, Alcaraz had a 0-40 advantage that he failed to capitalize on, which cost him as the lead vanished in less than ten minutes, turning into a 4-4 that revived the Australian's chances of contesting the set.

From a potential 5-1, Alcaraz became anxious, and De Miñaur, without taking many risks—only achieving nine winners in the entire set—began to see himself as the favorite and came close to securing the tiebreak. The Aussie led 3-1 and 5-3 in the tiebreak, but this time it was Alcaraz who emerged from nowhere. He nullified De Miñaur's advantage twice and won the last four points of the set to make a statement.

After more than an hour of play, Alcaraz had survived his 19 unforced errors and was once again enjoying fluidity in his game. Thus, at the start of the second set, his best version returned, with a love break and a winning parallel backhand to seal it.

There were ups and downs, as is typical with Alcaraz, and he gave away his next service game, but it served as a wake-up call. At 1-1, he no longer allowed De Miñaur to gain the upper hand and transformed the frustration of losing his serve into two more breaks against the Australian, one sealed with a winning backhand and the other with a parallel forehand. When he was in tune, his aggressive play—achieving 32 winners—had no answer from De Miñaur, whose best quality is always returning one more ball and his speed on the court.

The victory, his 68th of the season, allows him to notch his fourth win at this event—having won two matches in 2023 and one in 2024—and brings him closer to both the semifinals and the world number one ranking. For the player from El Palmar, defeating Fritz and Musetti will secure the number one spot, but he can also achieve it if he loses one of these matches but then advances past the semifinals.

Jannik Sinner will debut this Tuesday against Felix Auger-Aliassime, knowing that any defeat will bring the Spaniard closer to the number one ranking. The Italian, however, plays at home, is the defending champion—having not dropped a set last year—and has 26 consecutive wins on indoor hard courts. He is the man to beat, and if both he and Alcaraz finish first in their respective groups, they will only meet in next Sunday's final. The scenario everyone is hoping for.