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Alex de Minaur kept alive his chances of reaching the last four of the ATP Finals Thursday after beating Taylor Fritz in straight sets 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 in Turin.Australia’s De Minaur had to win in straight sets in order to have any chance of making it out of the Jimmy Connors Group, and he now needs Carlos Alcaraz to beat Lorenzo Musetti later on Thursday in order to book his place in the semi-finals.Should Alcaraz beat local hero Musetti, as he is widely expected to, seventh seed De Minaur will take second place in the group after avoiding a sixth straight defeat at the Finals.Hard court specialist De Minaur won his 43rd match of the season on the surface, the most on the men’s tour, and was too much for Fritz once he prevailed in the first set tie-break.“Couple days ago was one of the toughest days I’ve had in my career. I was in a very, very dark spot. I could tell you that I hated the sport,” De Minaur told reporters.“Here we are two days later and I’m feeling great about myself. It’s incredible.”De Minaur revealed that personal battle after defeat to Musetti on Tuesday helped his mindset coming into the match with Fritz.“Regardless of the result today, I had made peace with myself. That was a big, big moment. I knew the way I wanted to play. I was going to commit to it from the first point to the last,” he said. “I was okay with the result not going my way. I had made peace with that. I just wanted to play my way.”Defeat for Fritz in one hour and 35 minutes ended the American’s participation in this year’s edition of the prestigious end-of-season tournament.“Today was probably the match that I’m not super happy about,” Fritz said.“I thought the other two matches I played well, did a lot of things well that maybe I hadn’t been doing well. I thought the first two matches I returned exceptionally well... There’s some positives to take. Obviously, right now I feel pretty upset.”Alcaraz is now guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals but still needs to beat Musetti to both secure first place in the group and claim the year-end number one ranking for the second time.If Musetti beats Alcaraz and joins Jannik Sinner in the next round it will be the first time two Italians have reached the semis in the history of the tournament.Sinner reached the last four of the after beating Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-3 to qualify from the Bjorn Borg group with a match to spare.World number one Sinner is bidding to retain his title at the prestigious end-of-season tournament and he cruised into the semi-finals in front of a delighted crowd in Turin. The 24-year-old was not at his best and struggled with a hand problem at the start of the match but still had more than enough to see off Zverev for the fifth straight time.“I’ve known Sasha for a long time now and we changed our tactics a bit today, fortunately I only needed a break in each set to win. I’m very happy obviously, let’s see how we go in the next match,” said Sinner on court.“I’ve played well in recent weeks so I came into the tournament feeling good. We want to go as far as possible but also to play the right way.”Zverev hasn’t beaten Sinner since the 2023 US Open, being destroyed by the Italian in the semi-finals of the recent Paris Masters, and again the German couldn’t handle the four-time Grand Slam champion.Sinner was brutal on his serve, rattling in 12 aces, and once he took the first set with his third break point of game 10 he never looked back.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz came under extreme pressure before overcoming American Taylor Fritz 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 in a thrilling round-robin match at the ATP Finals Tuesday, leaving the Spaniard on two wins from two.Last year’s finalist Fritz played the tennis of his life, as both men served up the best encounter of the season-ending championships so far, but the American ran out of steam as Alcaraz turned on the style and took the deciding set with ease.Alcaraz and Fritz had won their opening Jimmy Connors Group matches, and the Spaniard looked in real trouble when the American took the opening set in a tiebreak. Alcaraz faced break points in the second set but rallied back to draw level.Fritz began to tire, and Alcaraz broke to lead 4-2 in the final set before wrapping up the win in two hours and 48 minutes by serving out to love.“It was pretty tight, I was struggling more than him in the first set,” Alcaraz said. “I wasn’t serving well, and I think he was pretty comfortable from the baseline, from everywhere.”Alcaraz will be assured of a semi-final place if Alex de Minaur defeats Lorenzo Musetti in the evening match. He also needs one more victory to guarantee the year-ending world number one spot, and will face Musetti Thursday.“I try not to think about it to be honest,” Alcaraz said.“Obviously it’s going to be a really big match for me. I’ll try to control the emotions, to control myself.”Tuesday’s clash was a battle from the opening game, with Fritz taking nine minutes to hold after hitting three aces but also facing two break points. The American forced three break points in the next game before the pair traded breaks.Fritz raced into a 5-2 lead in the tiebreak and smashed two aces to take the set. At 2-2 in the second, Alcaraz was rattled, his drop shots which earlier beat Fritz began to fall short but, after losing advantage five times, the Spaniard held on.Alcaraz got lucky with a shot that hit the net but crept over in the final game of the second set and broke to take the match to a third, where Alcaraz outclassed an exhausted Fritz.“I was really relieved after the win because of everything I went through during the match,” Alcaraz said aft.“I wasn’t feeling the ball as well as I was in the first round, but I’m really happy that I found a way to come back.”Two fans die on second day of ATP FinalsTwo spectators died from cardiac arrests during the second day of the ATP Finals at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, the Italian Tennis Federation (FITP) and the ATP said Tuesday.The individuals were aged 70 and 78 and the incidents occurred at different times on Monday. The first singles match between Italian Lorenzo Musetti and Taylor Fritz was delayed, with an announcement made regarding a medical situation in the arena.“The Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP) and the ATP express their deepest condolences following the tragic passing of two spectators Tuesday during the ATP Finals in Turin,” a joint statement said Tuesday.“On-site medical and emergency personnel responded immediately, providing all possible assistance. Despite prompt intervention and subsequent transfer to hospital, unfortunately, both sadly passed away.”The season-ending championships have been held at the Turin arena since 2021, with the Italian city confirmed as host for 2026.The ATP Finals will remain in Italy until 2030.Large crowds were at the arena on Monday when along with Musetti, Italian fans were out in force to cheer on defending champion Jannik Sinner who defeated Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The Qatar ExxonMobil Open men’s tennis tournament has won the Best ATP 500 Tournament award, according to the 2025 ATP Players’ Choice Awards.This award adds to the tournament’s impressive record, having previously won the Best ATP 250 Tournament award six times before its upgrade to the 500-point level this season.Tournament Director Karim Alami said: “We are proud to have won the Best ATP 500 Tournament award, after the Qatar ExxonMobil Open had already won the same award six times in the 250-point category.”Alami added that this achievement confirms that success is not a matter of chance, but rather the fruit of a clear vision, unwavering passion, and integrated teamwork. He emphasised that the award is a testament to the players’ own confidence, reflecting Qatar’s image as a global sports destination thanks to its state-of-the-art facilities and high-level organisation.He continued: “We dedicate this achievement to everyone who contributed to this success, including players, fans, and sponsors, especially Qatar ExxonMobil, the title sponsor, as well as the dedicated team from the various committees who consistently strive to deliver an exceptional tournament. This award serves as an incentive to continue our journey of development and innovation year after year.”This year’s tournament featured a stellar lineup of the game’s top players, including Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.Andrey Rublev of Russia won the title this year after defeating Jack Draper of Great Britain, while the British duo of Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspole claimed the doubles trophy.

Italy’s Jannik Sinner has reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking in men’s tennis following the latest update of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) standings released Monday, which also introduced several changes within the top ten.Sinner’s return to the summit came after his triumph at the Paris Masters (ATP 1000) on Sunday, where he defeated Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final to overtake Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who slipped to second place.Among other notable movements, American Ben Shelton climbed one spot to sixth, pushing Australia’s Alex de Minaur down to seventh. Felix Auger-Aliassime rose two places to eighth, while Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti dropped from eighth to ninth, and Norway’s Casper Ruud fell to tenth.Sinner now leads the updated rankings with 11,500 points, followed by Alcaraz with 11,250 points. Germany’s Alexander Zverev holds third with 5,560 points, ahead of American Taylor Fritz in fourth with 4,735 points, and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in fifth with 4,580 points.Completing the top ten are Shelton (6th, 3,970 pts), De Minaur (7th, 3,935 pts), Auger-Aliassime (8th, 3,845 pts), Musetti (9th, 3,685 pts), and Ruud (10th, 3,235 pts).