After a dramatic round-robin stage at the Nitto ATP Finals, the knockout stage with semi-finals begins on Saturday in Turin.
Carlos Alcaraz was presented ATP year-end number 1 by PIF honors by going 3-0 in group play, but he needs two more wins to secure a perfect end to a career-best season. His next hurdle will be Felix Auger-Aliassime, who defeated Alexander Zverev in what was a win-or-go-home group final for both men.
Jannik Sinner needed Alcaraz to stumble in Turin to have a chance to end the year at No. 1, but his Nitto ATP Finals title defense remains firmly in his own hands. After his own 3-0 group campaign, the Italian home favorite will face Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals.
In the doubles, top seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool take on Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury in an all-British match, while Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori take on Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.
[2] Jannik Sinner (ITA) against… [7] Alex de Minaur (AUS)
While Sinner’s place in the semi-finals was secured after his second victory, De Minaur had to wait nervously on Thursday after his 7-6(3), 6-3 victory against Taylor Fritz. Alcaraz’s evening victory against Musetti ultimately sent the Australian through; if Musetti had won, he would have advanced.
De Minaur’s win – and Alcaraz’s subsequent favor – was the perfect tonic after the seventh seed’s brutal defeat to Musetti two days earlier. The Aussie led 5-3 in the final set, but lost the last four games to the home favorite and fell to 0-2 this week. His win against Fritz was his first win in two matches in Turin, after his debut last year.
“I’ve had quite a bit of heartbreak lately, so it was good to finally get a win here in Turin,” said De Minaur after taking his first Top 10 win of the season outside of team events. “I worked very hard, so it was good to get positive feedback or a positive reward for the hard work, so I’m very happy with the performance.”
Even Sinner said he was happy for the Australian as he ended his group campaign with a sloppy 6-3, 7-6(3) win against Ben Shelton on Friday: “When you have losses like this it’s tough. So back him to come back with an incredible performance against Taylor,” the Italian said. “I have to be very careful [in our match]because he doesn’t have much to lose…I have a lot to lose.”
While both players head into the semi-finals on the back of a win, Sinner was able to find extra motivation in his new pursuit of world number 1. The Italian spoke of his excitement to “chase” Alcaraz after the Spaniard dethroned him from top spot in the PIF ATP rankings by beating him in the US Open final. Eight weeks later, Sinner regained the top spot, although his stint lasted only one week.
The 24-year-old may no longer be world number 1, but he played like one in Turin. For the second year in a row he made it through the group stage without losing a set. The defending champions have now won eight consecutive matches and 16 consecutive sets in Turin, having won the title in 2024 without dropping a set.
“If you come here and win all three round-robin games, you have to play at a very high level, which I did,” Sinner said. “Serving very well in important moments has brought me to this point.” The home favorite has saved all eight break points against him in the tournament, seven against Zverev and one against Shelton.
De Minaur broke twice in his group matches, including against Alcaraz in his opener. He will then look to break his lead against Sinner by taking his first Lexus ATP Head2Head win in the pair’s 13th match.
Their first meeting took place at the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. After three previous matches this season, including in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, the two now meet for the second year in a row at the Nitto ATP Finals.
[1] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) against… [8] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
With his mission number 1 already accomplished this week in Turin, Alcaraz can now turn his full attention to his bid for the first Nitto ATP Finals title. By reaching the semi-finals, the Spaniard has equaled his deepest previous run in Turin from his debut in 2023, although he won 2-1 in the group match that year.
While Alcaraz’s place in the knockout rounds was secured before his 6-4, 6-1 victory against Musetti on Thursday, that match came with enormous pressure: had the top seed lost, he would have faced a semi-final showdown against Sinner, with his position at the top of the PIF ATP rankings threatened.
“It means a lot to me, to be honest. Being No. 1 at the end of the year is always a goal,” said Alcaraz, who admitted to being nervous in the high-stakes match.
After the round-robin drama and all the complexities of the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1, presented by PIF honours, the task ahead of Alcaraz is now simple: win two knockout matches to claim his ninth tour-level title of the year. His previous high in a season was six in 2023.
The Spaniard will aim for his fifth consecutive Lexus ATP Head2Head victory against Auger-Aliassime to earn a spot in his first final in Turin. After losing their first three meetings of 2021-2022, Alcaraz won all nine sets he played against the Canadian in 2023 (one match) and 2024 (three matches). Their showdown on Saturday will be their first meeting this season.
Auger-Aliassime played what essentially amounted to a quarter-final against Zverev on Friday. In his second Nitto ATP Finals appearance, the Canadian advanced to the semi-finals for the first time with a 6-4, 7-6(4) result – his 50th win of the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. After losing his first three sets of the week – two against Sinner and the opener against Ben Shelton – the 25-year-old rattled off four straight sets to extend his stay in Turin.
“This is a tournament with high value for players,” said Auger-Aliassime, who rose to No. 5 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings with his two wins. Three years after reaching a career high of No. 6 in November 2022, the Canadian will make his Top 5 debut if he equals or surpasses De Minaur’s result in Turin.
He could rise to No. 4 with the title, but his full focus on Saturday will be on spoiling world No. 1 Alcaraz’s trophy hopes.
“[The Nitto ATP Finals] is like a grand final and if you look at the list of champions there have been a lot of number 1s. You want to be in the final, but for that I need a great player. If I have that, I’ll take my chance.”
Double action
Cash and Glasspool became the first all-British duo to claim the year-end ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF Honors, booking their place in the semi-finals with a 6-3, 7-5 victory against Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in a win-and-win showdown on Thursday. That win also ensured there would be an all-British finalist: they will meet compatriots Salisbury and Skupski, winners of the John McEnroe Group and both former No. 1s in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings, for a place in the trophy round. Both pairs are looking for the perfect ending to their first full season as a team.
The opposite semi-final sees home favorites Bolelli and Vavassori take on Heliovaara and Patten, who advanced with a 7-6(5), 6-2 win in their own match against Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic on Friday. Both teams are participating in the Nitto ATP Finals for the second year in a row, with Heliovaara and Patten reaching the semi-finals last season.
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