Category: Tennis

• Australian defeated world No 6 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 but had anxious wait

• Semi-finals spot confirmed after Carlos Alcaraz beats Lorenzo Musetti

Alex de Minaur has shown extraordinary resilience to bounce back from the depths of misery and book an “incredible” place in the last-four of the ATP Finals in Turin.

The Australian No 1, a picture of despair just a couple of nights earlier after feeling he had thrown away victory during defeat to Lorenzo Musetti, started his unlikely resurrection with a backs-to-the-wall 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 win over Taylor Fritz on Thursday, his first ever victory at the season-ending championship.

Already through to the semi-finals, Carlos Alcaraz was far too good for Lorenzo Musetti, a 6-4 6-1 win ensuring he ends the year as world no 1

Of course my wife ordered the shopping to arrive, then went to a work dinner. But it’s in, you’ll be relieved to learn, and they’re still knocking up.

Alcaraz, meantime, looks focused. He’ll not be taking it easy tonight, I’m sure.

• Sinner beats Zverev 6-4, 6-3 to thrill home fans in Turin

• German must beat Auger-Aliassime to make the semis

It’s almost time … and out they come, the crowd going wild for Sinner. This arena is proper, steeply banked so it feels like everyone is on top of the action, and it makes a right racket.

Sinner, by the way, has won 27 indoor hard-court matches in a row. The predictable bounce is perfect for the way he moves and hits and in Turin, the thinner air is also helpful, giving the ball even greater pace. Zverev, though, quite likes all of that too, so we’ll see.

• Australia No 1 defeated by Lorenzo Musetti 7-5 3-6 7-5 in Turin

• World No 7 needs convincing win over Taylor Fritz to reach last four

Alex de Minaur’s hopes of reaching the ATP Finals last four are hanging by a thread after a heartbreaking three-set loss to Lorenzo Musetti.

The world No 7 went down 7-5 3-6 7-5 after failing to serve out the match, keeping the Italian in the event and now leaving the Australian needing to convincingly beat Taylor Fritz in his third and final group match to reach the semi-finals.

• Italian served a three-month suspension in February 2025

• Djokovic adds that timing of punishment was ‘very odd’

Novak Djokovic has warned Jannik Sinner that his three-month doping ban will hang over him like a “cloud” – and questioned the timing of the sanction last year.

Sinner served a three-month ban in February 2025 after the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) accepted his explanation that a banned anabolic steroid, clostebol, entered his system accidentally.

Taylor Fritz did all he could, but it still wasn’t enough to beat Carlos Alcaraz, who recovered after losing the first set to win an epic in three

*Alcaraz 1-1 Fritz The last thing Fritz will want is for Alcraraz to rush through an easy hold and he makes 0-15, then attacks a second serve with a backhand down the line, as we suggested he should, for 0-30. And, though Alcaraz halves his arrears, Faritz runs around his forehand to clout down the line, raising two break points; the first disappears with an overhit forehand, the second with a service winner. Up advantage, though, Alcaraz errs, and this is already ridiculously enjoyable, Fritz taking control of the next rally by landing a forehand on to the baseline and seeing it home with backhands down the line to earn a third break point. And this time he looks ready to take it, racing to net when a drop sits up … but Alcaraz reads him and puts away the volley! The anticipation there was spooky, and there’s something about watching him play that’s almost wrong, stuff that shouldn’t be possible happening with such regularity it feels unreal, or staged. And that’s exactly the next point, a no-look drop, discharged with Fritz expecting a booming cross-court shot, followed up with a perfectly disguised and perfect lob; from there, Alcaraz sees out the hold, and these two games have been of absurdly high standard.

Alcaraz 0-1 Fritz* (denotes server) A forehand clouted wide gives Alcaraz 0-15 … but that’s nothing a service winner can’t solve. At 30-15, though, a tame forehand into the net puts him under immediate pressure … but that’s nothing an ace can’t serve. He quickly makes 40-30, too, but a backhand winner sizzles past him cross, and another netted forehand means Alcaraz has advantage. Fritz looks nervous, reflecting how well he knows he’s playing: this is is his time. He saves break point with a forehand winner, but is soon down advantage again, totally dominated in the next rally. Also again, though, he restores deuce, and this time an ace raises game point … only to be followed by a double. On the one hand, this isn’t the game Fritz had in mind when he opted to serve but, on the other, if he can see out the tension and hold, it’ll fortify him with confidence. Meantime, though, an ace earns another advantage, but again, he can’t see it out; what a start to the match this is. AND HAVE A LOOK! Again up advantage and this tome at the net with a simple putaway there for him, Fritz picks out Alcaraz who hoists a lob, then deals with the tweener sent at him in riposte via volley. That was another terrific exchange, was, restoring deuce, but Fritz again makes his ad, this time punishing down an ace to secure a nine-minute hold. MORE MORE MORE MORE MORE.

Jannik Sinner began his title defence with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Félix Auger-Aliassime, who suffered a calf injury at the end of a tight first set

Sinner to serve, ready … play.

Earlier in this group: Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton 3 and 6.

• Top seed beats Australian 7-6 (5), 6-2

• Alcaraz has never won ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz opened the ATP’s season-ending championships, and the battle for the year-end No 1 ranking, in ideal fashion as he confidently navigated a turbulent opening set before easing to a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over the seventh seed, Alex de Minaur, in Turin.

Alcaraz, the top seed, is attempting to win the ATP Finals for the first time and hold off Jannik Sinner to finish the season as the top-ranked player. Despite ceding significant ground to the Italian in recent weeks by losing to Cameron Norrie in his opening match at the Paris Masters, which Sinner won, Alcaraz still holds a clear advantage this week since the Italian is defending his title from last year. The Spaniard must win all three of his round-robin group stage matches or reach the final in order to secure the top ranking.

Alex de Minaur had a chance to win the first set, leading 5-3 in the tie-break, but Carlos Alcaraz would not be denied, coming back to take it 7-5 before playing a wondrous second

…and here comes the genius.

Here comes the Demon…

The two top players are so far ahead of the opposition that there seems to be little hope of an outsider winning in Turin

Days before the grand finale of the ATP season in Turin, the Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner show had already begun. Although the two rivals are locked in battle to determine the year-end No 1 ranking, rumours swirled early on Friday morning that they were scheduled to train together. Sure enough, that afternoon they entered the stadium court side-by-side and they were greeted by deafening roars from a significant crowd.

The practice set that followed garnered as much attention as many matches this year. Thousands of viewers tuned in to watch the live stream, then highlights were swiftly available afterwards. The scores from practice sets usually do not leave the practice court, but on this occasion the tennis world quickly learned that Sinner had finished the day with a 6-3 win. They commemorated the moment with a selfie that instantly spread like wildfire across social media.

• Williams to play 33rd WTA season at age 45

• US star given wildcard for January’s ASB Classic

• Former champ joins Osaka in Auckland field

Tennis great Venus Williams plans to play for a 33rd straight season on the WTA Tour, starting in Auckland in January.

Organizers of the ASB Classic in New Zealand said Wednesday that the 45-year-old Williams would feature at their 5-11 January event.

• Australian tennis star to meet Belarusian in December in Dubai

• ‘I’m not just here to play, I’m here to entertain,’ says Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios, Australian former Wimbledon finalist, is to play women’s world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka in an exhibition match in Dubai.

The clash evokes memories of the 1973 Battle of the Sexes match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs – which King won in straight sets in the Houston Astrodome and was later the subject of a Hollywood movie.

Elena Rybakina qualified for the semi-finals after she came from behind to beat Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova came from behind to see off Madison Keys – who is out

Rybakina again finds herself behind on serve and, down 15-30, hits a decent forehand. But forced to come in and volley, she’s tentative, dumping into the net, and must now face two further break points. This time, though, she finds the booming deliveries she needs to make deuce, and from there she closes out for 3-1 Swiatek.

Swiatek consolidates easily, sealing the deal with an ace, and you can feel her intensity assaulting you through the screen. She leads 3-0, and Rybakina needs to keep the head while finding some first serves.