Jannik Sinner continued his total dominance of the indoor season as he held off an admirable early challenge from Alex de Minaur before bulldozing his path into the ATP Finals for a third consecutive year with a supreme 7-5, 6-2 victory, extended his winning record against the Australian to 13-0.
Sinner continues to perform at an astoundingly consistent level that has allowed him to rapidly rise the list of all-time great menâ€s tennis players. In a season that included a three-month doping ban between February and May, Sinner will attempt to win his sixth ATP title of the year in his 10th final. The 24-year-old has now won 30 consecutive indoor hard court matches and 14 matches in a row after his recent triumphs at the Vienna Open and Paris Masters. He has also won 18 consecutive sets at the ATP Finals.
“Making three times consecutive finals in Turin means a lot to me,†he said. “Itâ€s a great atmosphere, great place for me to play tennis and also a great place for me to close this beautiful season Iâ€ve played in.â€
The tournament is now one match away from what many consider the dream final – a sixth and final showdown between Sinner, the world No 2, and the No 1, Carlos Alcaraz, in a season that has been defined by the duoâ€s dominance.
Alcaraz will attempt to join Sinner in the semi-final on Saturday night as he faces Felix Auger-Aliassime, the eighth seed. The in-form Canadian ousted Alexander Zverev in straight sets on Friday night to reach the semi-finals of the ATP Finals for the first time. On Thursday, Alcaraz sealed his status as the ATP year-end No 1 by rolling through his group with a flawless 3-0 record.
Jannik Sinner stretches to return the ball in his semi-final win. Photograph: Alessandro Di Marco/EPA
De Minaur arrived in the semi-final with few reasons to believe he could make things difficult for Sinner, an opponent he has won two sets in their 13 meetings. Their form this week further illustrated the challenge before him. While De Minaur barely survived the group stages, qualifying through tie-break rules despite losing two of his three matches, Sinner eased through his group without dropping a set.
For more than an hour, however, De Minaur threw everything he could at Sinner, playing some of his best tennis of the tournament in the process. He forced himself inside the baseline, frequently having to half-volley ground strokes as he tried to maintain his court position. The Australian also served well, saving Sinnerâ€s first seven break points as they reached 5-5, and he used his stupendous defensive skills to make the court seem as narrow as possible to his opponent.
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His best efforts were far from sufficient. As has been the case every time they have faced each other, Sinner completely overpowered De Minaur with far more potent ground strokes. He also continued his own brilliant serving form during the tournament, emerging from their tight opening set having landed 82% of his first serves. With the first set secured, Sinner opened his shoulders and hit his helpless opponent off the court to reach another final in front of his buoyant home crowd.
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