Like all the others, De Minaur finally cracked against Sinner, who will defend his title at the ATP Finals
Jannik Sinner steadily increased his pace throughout Saturday’s ATP Finals semifinal against Alex de Minaur, winning 7-5, 6-2. He will defend his title against Carlos Alcaraz or Félix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday.
Jannik Sinner, ATP Finals 2025 | © Imago / PsNewz
No surprises for Jannik Sinner and the fans at Turin’s Inalpi Arena on Saturday. The world number one and flagbearer for Italian tennis proved too strong for Alex de Minaur, defeating him 7-5, 6-2 in the first semi-final. With this victory, Sinner reaches the ATP Finals final for the third consecutive year. After losing to Djokovic in 2023, he dominated Fritz in 2024. On Sunday, he will face Carlos Alcaraz or Félix Auger-Aliassime.
“Making three consecutive finals in Turin means a lot to me. It’s a great atmosphere. Great place for me to play tennis. Also a great place to close this beautiful season I’ve played in. Tomorrow I will enjoy. I’ll try my best to have the best possible result. In any case it has been an amazing week.”
There were tense moments in the Italian’s opening service game. Facing 0-40, Sinner was on the verge of losing his serve for the first time in the tournament. Yet, as he had done against Zverev in the round-robin, he stood firm on his serve, saving that break point and another at 40-AD, before cruising through the match on the back of a remarkable first-serve performance: 75% in, winning 85% of those points.
“De Minaur came up with great tennis”
“De Minaur came up with some great, great tennis today, Sinner said. I had to be very careful. The early stages of the sets are very important as we saw today. He had also break chances in the first set, Love-40. He was playing some really great tennis.”
“Then on five-all I managed to break, which gave me then the confidence to raise my level, to hit from the back of the court a bit stronger also. I felt like also the beginning of the second set was very important. When you start with a break up straightaway, it’s a bit easier to serve, it’s a bit easier to move the ball around. Very happy. It was a very tough match.”
Only Djokovic en 2018
Sinner now stands as only the second player since 1991 to reach the ATP Finals final without surrendering his serve, following Novak Djokovic’s feat in 2018.
Meanwhile, De Minaur’s serve faltered, with only 53% of first serves in, winning 64% of those points and 46% on second serves — an insufficient defense against the relentless waves of the Italian’s rhythm and precision.
De Minaur’s fighting spirit was not enough to unsettle the heavy favorite. Sinner shifted gears and cleaned up the lines on critical points at 6-5, serving against de Minaur. A streak of six consecutive games saw the scoreboard slide from 5-5 to 7-5, then 4-0, turning the match into a one-sided affair.
“I think the level of that first set was very good, noted De Minaur afterwards. I had my chances. I had a Love-40 early in that set that could have given me a little bit of buffer. Who knows what could have happened.”
Sinner’s dominance on indoor courts is no myth. Undefeated on covered courts for two years, the Italian has now won his ninth consecutive match at the ATP Finals without dropping a set and his 30th straight match on indoor surfaces on tour.
