Jannik Sinner began his ATP Finals title defence in style, defeating a physically hampered Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-5, 6-1 in front of a passionate home crowd in Turin. The Italian was imperious on serve, winning 24 of 27 first-serve points in the opening set and facing just one deuce in ten service games.
Auger-Aliassime, seeded eighth, was competitive in the first set and came close to forcing a tie-break before tweaking his left calf at 6-5 30-0. The injury severely affected his movement and shot-making, allowing Sinner to dominate the second set and close out victory with an ace.
Sinner’s win keeps him on top of the Bjorn Borg Group and boosts his bid to secure the year-end world number one ranking, with only Carlos Alcaraz standing as a potential rival for the top spot. He has now won 27 consecutive matches on indoor hard courts, remaining unbeaten against top-10 players other than Alcaraz since August 2024.
In other singles action, Taylor Fritz impressed with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the Jimmy Connors Group, dropping just three points on serve in the second set. Musetti struggled with fatigue after a late confirmation of his season-ending berth following Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal.
In doubles, Britons Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski opened their campaign with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic. Fellow British player Henry Patten, alongside Finland’s Harri Heliovaara, also claimed a 6-4, 6-4 victory in their opening match.
