Jannik Sinner extends dominance to 13-0 over De Minaur, advances to ATP Finals title defense

Jannik Sinner secured a comfortable victory against Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-1 in the semi-finals of the ATP Finals and continues his campaign to defend the title in Turin. The Italian stretched his advantage in the H2H to 13-0, having conceded only 2 of the 31 sets played between them.

De Minaur, for his part, bids farewell to the tournament with only 1 win—against Fritz in the Round Robin—and three defeats (Alcaraz, Musetti, and Sinner). Nevertheless, he added 200 points which allow him to maintain his position as Year-End No. 7—tied in points with No. 6 Fritz—and practically guarantees him a comfortable position among the top 8 seeds for the upcoming Australian Open.

Sinner, meanwhile, awaits his opponent in the final, who will be the winner between Felix Auger-Aliassime—whom he already defeated earlier this week—and the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, in what could be their 6th final of the year (4-1 in favor of Alcaraz).

The World No. 2 came out focused on taking the lead early, and in the very first game, he had his first two break points, although De Minaur managed to escape in a long 12-point game. Immediately afterward, Sinner faced a 0-40 deficit, but using strong first serves, he managed to maintain parity at 1-1.

After an initial period with opportunities for both, they managed to stabilize on serve without too much difficulty defending their service games for a stretch of the set. However, Sinner was pressuring and seemed closer from the return side, wasting three more break points before reaching 5-5. Thus, the set reached its moment of highest pressure, approaching the one-hour mark. Sinner capitalized on his opponent's nerves and proved stronger to secure the break—on his 8th opportunity of the set—and then closed it out with his serve for 7–5.

Sinner won 81% of points on his first serve, totaled 16 winners, and committed 11 unforced errors, while De Minaur was statistically behind in all metrics, achieving only 72% of first serve points won, 13 winners, and 16 unforced errors.

Sinner had seized the match momentum and quickly took the lead in the second set. If anything has characterized the Italian, it is maintaining his concentration from start to finish and taking advantage of moments when his rival begins to show doubts on serve. The Italian started perfectly, securing two breaks on three opportunities, and racing ahead to 4-0, extending his run to six games in a row.

The Italian was close to achieving his fourth consecutive break, but De Minaur managed to escape a complicated moment to get on the board in the final part of the match. However, the Australian could not do much more; despite having a chance on the return, Sinner maintained his strong serving and effectiveness before closing out the victory with his serve for 7–5, 6–1.

The 4-time major champion advanced to his third consecutive ATP Finals final, where he now holds nine consecutive wins and 13 wins in his last 14 matches. The Italian reached 18 victories against Top 10 players this season and increased his H2H advantage against De Minaur to an incredible 13-0. Sinner awaits his final challenge of the year: the ATP Finals final, seeking to defend his 2024 title. He will discover his next opponent tonight, between Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime.