Back on the throne: Carlos Alcaraz secures year-end No. 1, ends Musetti’s hopes in ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz claimed the victory against Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 6-4, 6-1 in his third ATP Finals match and secured the year-end World No. 1 ranking. The Spaniard was already classified for the semi-finals but needed to secure the top spot in his group—and complete his return to the summit of the rankings.

The 6-time major champion reached 11,650 points, making him unreachable by Sinner in the Live Ranking (Sinner can only accumulate a maximum of 11,500 points should he finish as undefeated champion in Turin). This marks the second season Alcaraz has managed to finish as No. 1, repeating his 2022 achievement when he was just 19 years old.

Musetti, for his part, was still clinging to the possibility of advancing. Following De Minaur's victory against Fritz, all he needed was to defeat Alcaraz to stay alive. Unfortunately for the Italian, the support of the local crowd was not enough to surprise Alcaraz. Musetti departs the tournament as World No. 8, having secured only one win in his three matches.

The first set had an equal start on both sides, with neither player giving the opponent too many chances on their serve. Alcaraz managed to do some damage from the return, but a few unforced errors meant he wasn't truly putting his opponent in danger. The World No. 2 clung to his serve and waited patiently for his opportunity, while Musetti slowly began to show weaknesses on his own serve.

Alcaraz managed to go up 5-4. While Musetti was serving, the first set point arrived, but Alcaraz left it in the net with an unforced error, and Musetti regained hope. However, the game was extended, and Alcaraz finally took advantage of his second opportunity to get the break and take the lead 6-4, in a set that had not shown great differences in its development. The 22-year-old Spaniard won 88% of points on his first serve and 63% on his second, widely surpassing his rival in aggressiveness, with 14 winners against Musetti's 5.

The second set began with Alcaraz firm on his serve, while Musetti immediately faced his first break point against him in his first service game. The Italian managed to hold for 1-1, but quickly started having trouble with his serve while failing to significantly penetrate his opponent's serve.

Alcaraz secured the first break at love in the 4th game and went ahead 3-1. It seemed a response from Musetti was imminent when Alcaraz faced a 15-40 (and double break point against him) in the following game. However, this was no problem for Alcaraz's effective first serves; he held onto his service game and managed to string together a good number of points.

From 1-1, Alcaraz was imposing on his serve and sharp on the return. He secured two consecutive breaks—winning 8 of the 9 points on his rival's serve—and surged to a 5-1 lead with the chance to close out the victory on his serve. Although Musetti challenged him in the final part of the match, making the close less straightforward, Alcaraz ultimately maintained his composure and, on his third match point, secured a resounding 6-4, 6-3 victory. This win takes him to the ATP Finals semi-finals as the undefeated group winner and guarantees he will finish the year as World No. 1.

In the semi-finals, he awaits his opponent, who will be determined between Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime, who define the second place in their group this Friday. Furthermore, Alex de Minaur is the major beneficiary of Alcaraz's run, as he advances to the semi-finals with just one win, to face Jannik Sinner in the other semi-final.