Jannik Sinner dominates Alex de Minaur to reach ATP Finals title match
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Jannik Sinner of Italy returning a shot during the men's singles semi-final match against Alex de Minaur of Australia at the ATP Finals in Turin on Nov 15. The Italian won 7-5, 6-2.
PHOTO: EPA
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TURIN – Jannik Sinner continued his mastery over Alex de Minaur on Nov 15 with a straight-set win to reach the ATP Finals decider for the third year in a row.
The Italian broke late in the first set and then pulled away from the Australian to complete a 7-5, 6-2 win in Turin – his 13th in as many meetings with his opponent.
“First of all, I am very happy. It is the last event of the year and it’s great to finish this way. Making three consecutive finals in Turin means a lot to me.
“It is a great atmosphere for me to play tennis and a great place for me to close this beautiful season. Tomorrow, I will enjoy and try my best to get the best possible result,” he said.
The Italian world No. 2 has yet to drop a service game en route to the final. He will defend his title on Nov 16 against either top-ranked Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz or Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, who met in a late semi-final.
Sinner has won his last 18 sets played in Turin, where he beat Taylor Fritz in the 2024 final. The four-time Grand Slam champion is on a 30-match winning streak on indoor hard courts.
The 24-year-old has not dropped a set at the ATP Finals since losing the 2023 final to Novak Djokovic.
In front of the vociferous 13,000 home support, Sinner stayed patient in the first set, converting on his eighth break point to gain the advantage.
He then overwhelmed the resilient de Minaur in the second set to become the youngest player since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to reach three finals at the prestigious year-end event.
“It was a very tough match, especially at the beginning of the first set. I felt like he was serving great, very precise,” said Sinner.
“In the second set, I broke very early and then my level rose. I tried to be a bit more aggressive and it worked well but it was a tough match.”
For de Minaur, the defeat bookends an otherwise standout year in which the Australian won the ATP 500 event in Washington.
Canada’s Auger-Aliassime reached the last four on Nov 14 with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) round-robin win over two-time winner Alexander Zverev.
Meanwhile, Ben Shelton has vowed to use his winless debut as fuel for next season.
The American is the only player to lose all three round-robin matches at this year’s competition, with defeats by Zverev and Auger-Aliassime preceding his 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) loss to Sinner on Nov 14.
The 23-year-old world No. 5 had his best season to date, winning his first ATP 1000 title in Canada besides reaching the Australian Open semi-final, which he lost to Sinner.
“Tough to finish out the season like this, 0-3 at the Finals,” Shelton said.
“For me obviously a great year. A lot of positives. Tennis is full of highs and lows. This will just make me work harder in the off-season, make me even more excited for the 2026 season. But yeah, it stings, for sure,” he said.
“I’m not the player that I want to be yet. Not close. There’s so many things that I need to work on.” AFP, REUTERS
