Alcaraz and Sinner: The ATP Finals Final in Sight
Turin, Italy – Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, protagonists of intense duels throughout the year in search of the most prestigious tennis titles, will face each other again. This time, the coveted crown of the ATP Finals will be at stake on Sunday. In Saturday’s semifinals, Alcaraz, currently number one in the world, defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime with a score of 6-2, 6-4. For his part, Sinner, ranked second, defeated Alex de Minaur in front of his Italian home crowd, with a result of 7-5, 6-2. In this way, a new match between these two tennis players who have set the pace this season was confirmed.Alcaraz, already assured as number one at the end of the year, will play his first final in this tournament that brings together the eight best players of the season. Sinner, for his part, will play his third consecutive final in Turin and will seek his second title in a row. The Italian has maintained an impeccable performance in the ATP Finals, without conceding sets since he fell to Novak Djokovic in the 2023 championship, accumulating a streak of 18 consecutive sets won.“I hope at least three or four people in the audience cheer for me,” Alcaraz commented with a smile. “It will be really difficult. I’m happy to see Jannik in another final. Every time we face each other in a final, we raise our level to the maximum.”
Carlos Alcaraz
This year, Sinner and Alcaraz have faced each other in three Grand Slam finals: Alcaraz won the French Open after a tiebreak in the fifth set; Sinner took revenge by defeating Alcaraz at Wimbledon; and Alcaraz prevailed again at the US Open.“These are matches I look forward to,” Sinner stated. “They also help me assess my actual level, and it’s great to have this matchup before the preseason… I feel comfortable on indoor hard courts.”
Jannik Sinner
Additionally, Sinner conquered the Australian Open, defeating Alexander Zverev in the final. Both Sinner and Alcaraz have achieved two Grand Slam titles this year. In total, this will be the sixth match between Alcaraz and Sinner this year. They also faced each other in the final of the Rome Masters, won by Alcaraz, and in the final of the Cincinnati Masters, where Alcaraz prevailed after Sinner’s withdrawal due to illness. In the head-to-head record, Alcaraz leads Sinner with a score of 10-5. On Saturday, Alcaraz put pressure on Auger-Aliassime from the start and, like Sinner, maintained his undefeated streak this week, with a 4-0 record. Alcaraz outperformed Auger-Aliassime in winning points, with a score of 25-15, and committed half as many unforced errors as his Canadian opponent (20-10). The Spanish tennis player described his performance as the best of the tournament.“Each match-up is different. We saw it in Rome and Paris. Even on the same surface, it can change,” Sinner pointed out.
Jannik Sinner
“I am very happy with my level today,” Alcaraz declared. “I played very solid and aggressive”.
Carlos Alcaraz
This is Alcaraz’s third participation in the Finals, although he withdrew from his first appearance in 2022 due to an injury. Last year, he was eliminated in the group stage after losing to Casper Ruud and Zverev, and only managed to beat Andrey Rublev.
Auger-Aliassime defeated Ben Shelton and Zverev in the group stage, after falling to Sinner, and will close the year in his best ranking position, number 5, after an outstanding season on indoor courts. Meanwhile, Sinner extended his unbeaten record against De Minaur to 13-0. Sinner saved three break points in his first service game, after being down 0-40, and finally managed to break De Minaur’s serve to go up 6-5, before securing the set with his serve. The second set was kept under Sinner’s control, who quickly went up 4-0. “I felt good about my serve and my reaction in the important moments,” Sinner commented. Sinner extended his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 31 matches, a streak that dates back to the 2023 final against Djokovic. Furthermore, he has not lost his serve this week. The first professional victory of Sinner over De Minaur was in 2019, in the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals. Sinner has won 29 of the 31 sets they have played.
