Carlos Alcaraz was pushed all the way by Alex de Minaur in his opening match at the ATP Finals in Turin, but he found a way to win in straight sets as he continued his push to finish the season as the world No 1.
Alcaraz jumped back to the top of the live ATP rankings heading into the Turin finals, but he could still finish a stellar year behind his great rival Jannik Sinner in the rankings.
Sinner’s wins in the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna and his victory at the Paris Masters allowed him to get back into contention to finish 2025 as the world’s best player.
Yet if Alcaraz wins three matches at the ATP Finals, the Spaniard will claim that prestigious end-of-season rankings prize.
His 7-6(5), 6-2 win against De Minaur was far from straight forward, as he was pushed by the battling Aussie in a tight first set before he moved up a gear or two to secure the second set in more clinical fashion.
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“This tournament is one of the best tournaments we have on Tour, without a doubt,” said Alcaraz. “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 [as] I’m doing the right things to give myself a shot to try and win this tournament.”
He also opened up on his battle for the No 1 ranking with Sinner as he said: “As everybody knows, I’m fighting for not only the trophy but for the No 1 (ranking) as well so I’m just really happy with the way that I played today.
“I was focused on all my goals against someone like Alex, he’s really difficult to play against. I’m happy to get my first win and excited for what’s next.
“Ending as the No. 1, it’s been an important goal for me since half the year, to be honest. Because at the beginning, I didn’t think about it.
“I’m just really motivated to perform well, to play my best tennis, trying to get some wins here, trying to qualify to the semi-finals.
“I think doing good in this tournament, winning matches here, it comes together with ending the year as No. 1. It’s kind of the same motivation, they stick together.”
Alcaraz can clinch the year-end No 1 ranking if he wins all three of his group stage matches in Turin, but he could afford to lose one and still claim the crown if he reaches the final next Sunday.
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