Sinner and Alcaraz again . After Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open, Turin is finally here. The two absolute rulers of world tennis will face off (Sunday at 6:00 PM) in the final act of the ATP Finals and will write a new chapter in the history of this already epic rivalry.
Alcaraz, who has never won the Masters Tournament, won in 2025 in Paris (saving three match points) and New York, while Sinner defeated him in London. The Spaniard also won the Masters 1000 finals in Rome and Cincinnati (due to a withdrawal) and will finish the year as the world number one, thanks to the three-month suspension agreed upon with WADA over the Clostebol scandal. Now it's up to Jannik to reverse the trend in his head-to-head matches, which won't be easy because Alcaraz has appeared in great form.
In the semifinal, the Italian defeated Alex De Minaur for the 13th time in as many direct matches . The world number 2 won with a score of 7-5, 6-2 in one hour and 52 minutes .
In the evening, however, a dazzling Alcaraz overcame Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 24 minutes.
Sinner's match
The Australian played very well and held his own against Jannik for an hour, with his well-anticipated shots and impressive defense, which allowed him to recover everything and forced the Italian to always play one more shot.
De Minaur also served very well on his opponent's break chances, so the score went on serve until 5-all. Jannik, with the exception of a 0-40 he recovered in the first service game, easily held his service games (he never lost serve in the tournament). De Minaur, however, found it more difficult, struggling constantly but managing to hold his own until 5-all, when Sinner raised his level and secured the decisive break on the eighth occasion thanks to two surgical shots played down the lines, a forehand that forced the Australian to defend and a backhand winner down the line . Having secured the break, the South Tyrolean easily closed out the match at 7-5. The match ended there, with Sinner immediately taking a 4-0 lead in the second set and closing out the match without any problems .
Jannik's records
This is the defending champion's third straight final in Turin; he lost to Djokovic in 2023 and won the tournament in 2024. The Italian also boasts impressive statistics: since his defeat to Nole in 2023, he hasn't lost a single set at the Finals, winning 18 consecutive sets . With today's two set wins, he surpassed Federer and Sampras and put Ivan Lendl, the only player with a better record, in his sights.
The statements
"It was a very difficult match, especially at the beginning . I missed a few returns, and he served very well. Then I tried to raise my level, especially in the second set, and I managed to break him. This gave me confidence, and I started pushing even harder. Tomorrow is an important day, thank you so much to everyone for the support," Sinner said after his victory. "It's the last tournament of the year for all of us, and we're a little tired," he added. " I'm lucky to have the crowd, who give me a huge push ."
Alcaraz said : "I'm happy to play another great match against Jannik on this court. I'll be very focused because I know the crowd will cheer for him, but I have to stay focused on the things I have to do to play my best tennis and beat the great player that Jannik is . I expect at least three or four people in the crowd tomorrow cheering for me."
The double
Nothing to be done for the Italian doubles: Bolelli and Vavassori were defeated in the semi-final by Heliovaara-Patten 6-4, 6-3 .
(Unioneonline/L)
