Defending Champion Sinner Marches Into Third Straight Turin Final

Jannik Sinner
NITTO ATP FINALS 2025 Torino 14/11/2025 Inalpi Arena Jannik Sinner Foto Giampiero Sposito

TURIN/WASHINGTON, November 15, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

Defending Nitto ATP Finals champion Jannik Sinner is of the mindset that every match counts – and the bigger the match, the more exciting the stakes become. 

On Saturday afternoon, the World No. 2 Sinner from Italy marched past No. 7 Alex de Minaur of Australia, 7-5, 6-2, in one hour and 52 minutes to advance to his third consecutive final at Inalpi Arena. In beating the Australian No. 1 for the 13th-straight time, the 24-year-old Sinner became the youngest man to reach three finals at the year-end event since Lleyton Hewitt in 2024.

Next, Sinner will face World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain for the sixth time this season on Sunday with the 2025 ATP Finals title on the line. Alcaraz ousted No. 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada, 6-2, 6-4, in an hour and 22 minutes in the second semifinal Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, Sinner collected his 30th indoor hard-court win in a row and he’s yet to drop a service game all week, winning 40 of 40 service games – although de Minaur had his chances during Sinner’s very first service game before the Italian star erased three break points. Only Novak Djokovic in 2018 achieved the feat of advancing to the ATP Finals championship match without dropping serve since the ATP Tour began recording serve statistics in 1991.

Give de Minaur credit for putting himself in the position of playing to reach the biggest final of his career. After all, the 26-year-old Sydneysider was just the third man to qualify for the ATP Finals semifinal with a 1-2 round-robin record. However, he proved no match for Sinner, who now has won 18 consecutive sets and strung together nine straight wins in Turin.

“First of all, I am very happy,” Sinner said during his on-court interview. “It is the last event of the year and it is great to finish in this way.”

In a very evenly-played first set, Sinner converted his third break-point chance of the 11th game – and eighth overall – to go ahead 6-5 and, quickly, consolidated it to win the one-hour, six-minute tussle. Upon securing the lead on his second set-point opportunity, Sinner clenched his right fist and looked approvingly toward his bench and smiled as he walked off the court. He was aided by 16 winners and won 84 percent (21 of 25) of his first-serve points. Sinner won 50 of the 91 points contested during the opener.

Next, Sinner broke de Minaur to open the second set after striking a perfectly-placed, fourth-shot backhand winner that hugged the sideline, then consolidated the break for a 2-0 advantage. He began to pull away after breaking de Minaur for a second consecutive time, and held at love to make it 4-0. By winning seven consecutive games, Sinner had provided himself with a comfortable enough margin that he never looked back. He secured the semifinal win on his second match-point opportunity, hitting an inside-out forehand winner that zoomed past de Minaur’s backhand side.

“It was a very tough match, especially at the beginning of the first set. I felt like he was serving great, very precise. In the second set, I broke very early and then my level rose,” Sinner said.

“I tried to be a bit more aggressive and it worked well but it was a tough match. But making the final for three consecutive years means a lot to me. It is a great atmosphere, a great place for me to play tennis and a great place for me to close this beautiful season. Tomorrow I will enjoy and, obviously, I’ll try my best to get the best possible result. In any case, it’s been an amazing week.”

While the semifinal was tight for a while – and there may have been a bit of anxiety on behalf of Sinner’s fans – he turned the match into a masterclass. His shotmaking was superb. By the conclusion, Sinner had successfully recorded his 57th victory of the 2025 season, with an eye toward winning one more on Sunday to wrap up a very remarkable year.

Sinner finished his semifinal triumph with 30 winners to 22 unforced errors. He won 84 percent (37 of 44) of his first-serve points, saved all four break points he faced while breaking de Minaur three times in 13 opportunities. He outpointed his opponent 84-63. 

Meanwhile, Minaur looked to accentuate the positives during his post-match news conference, after finishing with a 56-24 win-loss record, the first time he’s eclipsed 50 wins in a single season. “Yeah, it’s been another positive season for me,” he said. 

“Obviously staying in the Top 10 – Top 8 – is a good achievement. I won a lot of matches this year. There’s still plenty to learn and grow from, plenty to improve, which I’ll be looking at. Hopefully next year will be an even better version of myself.”

Alcaraz sets up blockbuster title match with Sinner

From the outset of their semifinal match, World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz came ready to play against No. 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime – and he played out of this world. Alcaraz gained an early, 3-1 break advantage in the first set after hitting a lunging forehand winner that surprised everyone in Inalpi Arena including Auger-Aliassime. Then, he consolidated the break for a comfortable 4-1 lead.

Soon, Alcaraz gained a set point at 5-2, 0-40 on Auger-Aliassime’s serve and won the 37-minute set after the Canadian No. 1 committed his eighth unforced error by netting a seventh-shot return. He won all but three points on his first serve, while Auger-Aliassime mustered just a 50-percent success ratio on his first serves.

Next, Alcaraz continued with his grip-and-rip game plan and there was little that Auger-Aliassime could do to contain the ATP Year-End No. 1. Throughout the second set, Alcaraz kept the pressure on his opponent after he won five straight games – including a love hold for 5-4 – that gave him a chance to wrap up the set and the match with a break of Auger-Aliassime’s serve.

A trio of unforced errors ramped up the tension on Auger-Aliassime’s side of the net as he gifted Alcaraz with a match point, down 15-40. Auger-Aliassime saved one of them with an ace out wide, but hit a third-shot forehand long and it was Alcaraz lifting his arms in victory and moving into the championship final after just an hour and 22 minutes.

Alcaraz finished with 25 winners to just 10 unforced errors, while Auger-Aliassime hit only five winners and committed 20 unforced errors. The 22-year-old Spaniard won 82 percent (31 of 38) of his first-serve points, saved the only break point he faced, converted three of eight break points and outpointed Auger-Aliassime 62-46.

“I felt like I could do everything on court,” Alcaraz said during his on-court interview. “It didn’t matter if I did forehand down the line, drop shots or backhand down the line, I felt that everything was going to be in. I think that confidence helped through the whole match, just pushing him to the limit, pushing him to do something different. … I am happy that I continued playing such great tennis.”

Alcaraz, who became the seventh different Spanish player to reach the title match of the ATP Finals – and the first since Rafael Nadal in 2013 – leads his career head-to-head against Sinner 10-5. This will be their sixth meeting in 2025. Alcaraz has won four of five meetings this season, including at Roland-Garros and the US Open.

Alcaraz said during his on-court interview that he looks forward to renewing his rivalry with the World No. 2 Sinner.

“It is great facing Jannik,” Alcaraz said. “If it was someone else I wouldn’t mind to be honest but it is great. Thanks to him, I will try and approach the match in a different way. More focus and I know I have to play my plan A if I want to beat him, if I want to win the tournament. So, I think we will both raise our levels to the top, which is great for the fans and for the crowd. It’s great to see Jannik Sinner in another final this year.”

Around Inalpi Arena

In doubles, Finland’s Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten of Great Britain advanced to Sunday’s title match after defeating Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori of Italy, 6-4, 6-3, in one hour and 16 minutes for their 49th victory of the season.

Heliovaara and Patten, a year removed from a semifinal exit in their ATP Finals debut, combined to hit seven aces, won 89 percent (24 of 27) of their first-serve points and saved the only break point they faced from the seventh-seeded Italian duo. The No. 2-seeded Finnish/British pair converted three of nine break points and outpointed the No, 7-seed Bolelli and Vavassori 59-44. Bolelli and Vavassori ended their 2025 season 37-22.

In Sunday afternoon’s final, Heliovaara and Patten will face fifth-seeded British duo Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski, who upset top seeds and Year-end ATP Doubles No. 1 Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool of Great Britain, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 10-8, winning on their third match-point opportunity. Salisbury and Skupski were only team to go undefeated during group play – and Salisbury has now won 14 straight matches in the event. He’s through to his fourth final in the last five years after not qualifying last year – his first with Skupski.

The winners, who withstood 10 aces from Cash and Glasspool, won 84 percent (42 of 50) of their first-serve points, faced no break points and converted one of two break-point chances. Salisbury and Skupski outpointed their oppponents 67-64. Cash and Glasspool ended their 2025 season 60-17.

Saturday’s ATP Finals results

Sunday’s ATP Finals order of play

By the numbers

Jannik Sinner has become the seventh different player to appear in three consecutive ATP Finals title matches. The others are: Novak Djokovic (2012-16), Roger Federer (2003-07, 2010-12), Boris Becker (1994-96), Ivan Lendl (1980-88), John McEnroe (1982-84), Ilie Nastase (1972-75).

“Quotable …”

“I feel just very comfortable. In the same time it suits my game maybe the best because I’m someone who is quite flat and has this rhythm game, which gives me the confidence to keep going for shots and changing direction a little bit easier. I think that’s what indoor tennis makes me feel comfortable.”

– Jannik Sinner of Italy, during his post-match news conference Saturday, on why he feels so comfortable playing on indoor hard courts.

 

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