Yesterday in Turin, Italy, Italy’s rising star Jannik Sinner served up a statement victory to kick off his ATP Finals title defence. Facing off against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, Sinner cruised to a 7-5, 6-1 win in front of his home crowd 🎾🔥.
From the baseline to the net, Sinner looked in top form. Auger-Aliassime, hampered by a left calf issue that required two trainer visits, struggled to find his usual rhythm 🤕. Despite a tight first set, Sinner broke late to seal it and then dominated the second.
Beyond the win, Sinner has bigger goals: to grab the year-end No.1 ranking, he must lift the trophy and hope Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t reach the final. If that happens, Sinner would finish 2025 at the pinnacle of the ATP rankings—no small feat in a season loaded with young talent.
Earlier in the round-robin phase, Alexander Zverev leads the Bjorn Borg group alongside Sinner after his win over Ben Shelton on Sunday. Meanwhile, in the Jimmy Connors group, Taylor Fritz started strong with a 6-3, 6-4 win over late entry Lorenzo Musetti, who replaced Novak Djokovic after his shoulder injury withdrawal.
The top two players from each group will advance to the semifinals, so every match counts. Keep an eye on the action as Sinner and his rivals battle for a spot in the final four!
Reference(s):
Sinner opens ATP Finals title defence by beating Auger-Aliassime
cgtn.com
