Jannik Sinner opened his title defence at the ATP Finals with a commanding win over a hampered Felix Auger-Aliassime, energising the Turin crowd with a 7-5 6-1 victory. The Italian second seed was dominant on serve and closed out the match in straight sets as Auger-Aliassime struggled with a left calf problem.
Auger-Aliassime had matched Sinner early and was two points from forcing a tie-break at 5-6 in the first set, but a tweak to his calf changed the match. The Canadian called for the physiotherapist twice in the second set and managed only a single game as movement and accuracy were affected.
The win places Sinner atop the Bjorn Borg Group as he chases the year-end world No. 1 ranking. He enters Turin on an impressive run on indoor hard courts — this marked his 27th straight win on the surface — and has not lost to a top-10 opponent other than Carlos Alcaraz since a defeat by Andrey Rublev in August 2024, a tournament where Sinner played two matches in one day.
Sinner’s serving was a key factor: he won 24 of 27 first-serve points, did not lose a single point behind his first delivery, faced no break points and was taken to deuce only once across 10 service games. He finished the match with an ace and was warmly applauded by the home crowd.
Elsewhere in Turin, American Taylor Fritz, last year’s runner-up to Sinner, impressed with his serve to beat Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti 6-3 6-4 in the Jimmy Connors Group. Fritz conceded only three points on serve in the second set, two of them in the final game, and turned a nervy start into a composed performance as the match progressed.
Musetti had only just clinched his spot at the year‑end event after Novak Djokovic, who beat him in the Athens Open final, withdrew from the Finals, opening a place to him. He had several early break chances against Fritz but could not convert, and fatigue showed as seven of his nine service games went to deuce.
Sinner remains in contention with Alcaraz for the year-end No. 1 spot. Alcaraz, who is in the opposite group, began his campaign with a straight-sets win over Alex de Minaur on Sunday, meaning Sinner must defend his title and hope for favourable results in Alcaraz’s group to retain top ranking.
In doubles action, Britain’s Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski began their bid with a 6-3 7-5 victory over Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic. No all‑British pairing has ever won the season-ending doubles title; Salisbury previously lifted the trophy with American Rajeev Ram in 2022 and 2023. Fellow Brit Henry Patten, partnering Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, also won their opener, beating Americans Christian Harrison and Evan King 6-4 6-4.
