'motivated' Alcaraz Beats De Minaur At Atp Finals

Carlos Alcaraz says he has entered nan ATP Finals "with motivation" arsenic he moved a measurement person to nan year-end world number 1 ranking pinch triumph complete Alex de Minaur.

The 22-year-old Spaniard won his opening group lucifer 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 successful 1 hr and 40 minutes successful Turin, Italy.

Alcaraz is making his 3rd quality astatine nan season-ending tourney but has ne'er reached nan last before.

He withdrew injured successful 2022, mislaid successful nan semi-finals connected debut a twelvemonth later and grounded to suffice from nan group past year.

Alcaraz is battling rival Jannik Sinner for nan apical ranking, pinch nan Italian moving backmost to nan apical spot aft his triumph astatine nan Paris Masters past week.

"I've been struggling successful nan past 3 years to travel to nan extremity of nan twelvemonth pinch power and motivation. This twelvemonth is simply a small spot different," Alcaraz said.

"I'm really proud astir nan measurement I've been doing things to travel present pinch motivation.

"I'm really excited and looking guardant to playing awesome tennis, and giving myself a changeable to effort to triumph this tournament."

World number 2 Alcaraz provided his accustomed moments of shot-making brilliance against De Minaur, hitting a full of 32 winners, but he was scrappy astatine times successful nan first set.

Alcaraz raced to an early lead but missed 3 break points for a 5-1 advantage - and past recovered himself 2 points from losing nan opener successful nan tie-break.

De Minaur's trademark conflict took him to nan brink of winning nan group but, starring 5-3 successful nan breaker, mislaid nan adjacent 4 points to concede it.

Set 2 began pinch 3 consecutive breaks of serve, 2 of them successful favour of Alcaraz, earlier a tally of 3 sensational winners successful a statement put Alcaraz firmly successful charge.

Despite conclusion for De Minaur - who has not beaten Alcaraz successful 5 attempts - nan 26-year-old Australian should return assurance from his capacity against nan six-time Grand Slam champion.

Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti, a precocious replacement for Novak Djokovic pursuing nan Serb's determination to retreat connected Saturday, are nan different 2 players successful nan Jimmy Connors Group.

Alcaraz and defending champion Sinner person divided nan 4 Grand Slam titles betwixt them this year.

They are successful other groups and are wide tipped to meet successful nan last connected Sunday, 16 November.

This is what each has to do to extremity 2025 arsenic world number one:

Two-time ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev of Germany will look American debutant Ben Shelton successful nan opening lucifer of nan Bjorn Borg Group astatine 19:30 GMT.

In nan doubles, Spain's Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos of Argentina hit Germany's defending champions Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 6-4 4-6 10-6.

British brace Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, who won nan Wimbledon doubles title successful July and are apical seeds successful Turin, return connected Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori later.