Carlos Alcaraz made a composed start to his ATP Finals campaign in Turin on Sunday, overcoming a shaky patch in the opening set to defeat Alex de Minaur 7-6 (5), 6-2.
The win not only gave the Spaniard his first-ever opening-match victory at the season-ending event but also strengthened his push to finish the year as world No. 1.
Alcaraz, the top seed, is locked in a tight race with defending champion Jannik Sinner for the year-end ranking. The equation is simple: if Alcaraz reaches the final, he finishes the season on top regardless of Sinner’s results. His performance against de Minaur suggested he is fully aware of what’s at stake.
The 22-year-old looked in full command early, breaking to love and nearly racing to a 5-1 lead before de Minaur clawed his way back.
The Australian forced a tiebreak and even held a 5-3 advantage, but Alcaraz responded with sharp defence and fearless hitting to take the set.
From there, the match tilted heavily in Alcaraz’s favour. He dropped serve once in the second set but dominated the rest of the action, sealing victory with a crisp cross-court backhand.
In the day’s other match, two-time champion Alexander Zverev defeated ATP Finals debutant Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (6), saving three set points in a tense second-set breaker.
Alcaraz next faces Taylor Fritz in the stacked Jimmy Connors group, while Lorenzo Musetti replaces the injured Novak Djokovic.