After a dramatic round-robin stage at the Nitto ATP Finals, the knockout stage begins Saturday with semi-final action in Turin.
Carlos Alcaraz clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours by going 3-0 in group play, but he needs two more wins to secure a perfect end to a career-best season. His next hurdle will be Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Alexander Zverev in what was a win-or-go-home group finale for both men.
Jannik Sinner needed Alcaraz to stumble in Turin to have a chance to finish the year at No. 1, but his Nitto ATP Finals title defence remains firmly in his own hands. After his own 3-0 group campaign, the Italian home favourite will face Alex de Minaur in the semis.
In doubles action, top seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool take on Neal Skupski and Joe Salisbury in an all-British matchup, while Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori meet Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.
[2] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. [7] Alex de Minaur (AUS)
While Sinner’s semi-final place was secured after his second victory, De Minaur faced a nervous wait Thursday after his 7-6(3), 6-3 win against Taylor Fritz. Alcaraz’s evening triumph against Musetti ultimately sent the Aussie through; if Musetti won, he would have advanced.
De Minaur’s victory — and Alcaraz’s subsequent favour — was the perfect tonic after the seventh seed’s brutal defeat to Musetti two days prior. The Aussie led 5-3 in the final set but lost the last four games against the home favourite to drop to 0-2 on the week. His win against Fritz was his first victory in two Turin appearances, following his debut last year.
“I have dealt with a fair bit of heartbreak recently, so it was good to finally get a win here in Turin,” De Minaur said after earning his first Top 10 win of the season outside team events. “I have worked really hard so it was good to get some positive feedback or a positive reward for the hard work, so I am very happy with the performance.”
Even Sinner said he was happy for the Aussie, speaking after he wrapped his group campaign Friday with a scrappy 6-3, 7-6(3) win against Ben Shelton: “When you have these kinds of losses, it’s tough. So props to him to come back with an incredible performance against Taylor,” said the Italian. “I have to be very careful [in our match], because he doesn’t have a lot to lose… I have a lot to lose.”
While both players enter the semi-finals on the back of a win, Sinner could find extra motivation in his fresh hunt for World No. 1. The Italian spoke of his excitement to “chase” Alcaraz after the Spaniard dethroned him from the top spot in the PIF ATP Rankings by beating him in the US Open final. Eight weeks later, Sinner regained the top spot — though his stint lasted just a single week.
The 24-year-old may no longer be World No. 1, but he has played like it in Turin. For the second straight year, he advanced through the group stage without losing a set. The defending champion has now won eight consecutive matches and 16 consecutive sets in Turin, having won the 2024 title without dropping a set.
“When you come here and win all three round-robin matches, you have to play at a very high level, which I’ve done,” Sinner said. “Serving very well in important moments has brought me to this point.” The home favourite has saved all eight break points against him in the tournament, seven against Zverev and one against Shelton.
De Minaur broke serve twice in each of his group matches, including against Alcaraz in his opener. Next he will try to break his duck against Sinner by earning his first Lexus ATP Head2Head win in the pair’s 13th match.
Their first meeting came at the 2019 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. After three previous matchups this season, including in the Australian Open quarter-finals, the pair will now meet at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second straight year.
<img alt=”Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/11/14/17/28/alcaraz-felix-turin-2025-preview.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” />
[1] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) vs. [8] Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
With his World No. 1 mission already accomplished this week in Turin, Alcaraz can now turn his full attention to his bid for a maiden Nitto ATP Finals title. By reaching the semis, the Spaniard has matched his deepest previous Turin run, from his 2023 debut — though he went 2-1 in group play that year.
While Alcaraz’s place in the knockout rounds was secured before his 6-4, 6-1 win Thursday against Musetti, that matchup carried enormous pressure: If the top seed lost, he would have faced a semi-final showdown against Sinner, with his position atop the PIF ATP Rankings under threat.
“It means the world to me, to be honest. The year-end No. 1 is always a goal,” said Alcaraz, who admitted to feeling nerves in the high-stakes match.
After the round-robin drama and all the intricacies of the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, the task ahead for Alcaraz is now straightforward: win two knockout matches to claim his ninth tour-level title of the year. His previous high in a season was six in 2023.
The Spaniard will seek his fifth straight Lexus ATP Head2Head win against Auger-Aliassime to earn a spot in his first Turin final. After losing their first three meetings from 2021-22, Alcaraz won all nine sets he played against the Canadian across 2023 (one match) and 2024 (three matches). Their Saturday showdown will be their first encounter this season.
Auger-Aliassime played what effectively amounted to a quarter-final against Zverev on Friday. Making his second Nitto ATP Finals appearance, the Canadian advanced to the semis for the first time with a 6-4, 7-6(4) result — his 50th win of the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. After losing his first three sets of the week — two against Sinner and the opener against Ben Shelton — the 25-year-old rattled off four consecutive sets to extend his stay in Turin.
“This is a high-value tournament for players,” said Auger-Aliassime, who moved up to No. 5 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings with his two wins. Three years after reaching a career high of No. 6 in November 2022, the Canadian will make his Top 5 debut if he matches or betters De Minaur’s result in Turin.
He could rise as high as No. 4 with the title, but his full focus Saturday will be on spoiling the trophy hopes of World No. 1 Alcaraz.
“[The Nitto ATP Finals] is like a grand finale and when you have a look at the list of champions, there have been many No. 1s. You want to be in the final, but I’ll have to go through a great player to do that. I will take my chance if I have it.”
Doubles Action
The first all-British pair to claim Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours, Cash and Glasspool booked their semi-final place with a 6-3, 7-5 victory against Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in a win-and-advance showdown Thursday. That victory also ensured there will be an all-British finalist: They will meet countrymen Salisbury and Skupski, winners of the John McEnroe Group and both former No. 1s in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings, for a place in the trophy round. Both pairs are seeking the perfect end to their first full season as a team.
The opposite semi-final will see home favourites Bolelli and Vavassori take on Heliovaara and Patten, who advanced with a 7-6(5), 6-2 victory in their own must-win match against Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic on Friday. Both teams are competing at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year, with Heliovaara and Patten reaching the semi-finals last season.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
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