In front of a raucous Turin crowd on Monday, November 10, 2025, Jannik Sinner kicked off his ATP Finals title defence with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime.
With the season-ending event in full swing, Sinner is eyeing the year-end No. 1 ranking. To secure the crown, he needs to lift the trophy again and hope Carlos Alcaraz falls short of this weekend's final.
Auger-Aliassime, ranked eighth, looked hampered by a left calf issue and required two on-court treatments in the second set. Sinner seized control after a tight opener, racing through the second 6-1.
Last year in Turin, Sinner stormed to the title without dropping a set. He hasn't been beaten at the ATP Finals since the 2023 final against Novak Djokovic, and he has bested Auger-Aliassime in all four of their meetings this season, including the U.S. Open semifinal and the Paris Masters final.
In the Bjorn Borg group, Sinner and Alexander Zverev both sit on one win after Zverev defeated Ben Shelton on Sunday. The top two players from each group will advance to the semifinals.
Earlier, Taylor Fritz defeated late replacement Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4. Musetti stepped in for Djokovic, who withdrew with a shoulder injury after his Athens final victory over the Italian on Saturday.
Fritz and Carlos Alcaraz now lead the Jimmy Connors group, while Alex de Minaur and Musetti trail with one loss each.
Reference(s):
Sinner opens ATP Finals title defence by beating Auger-Aliassime
cgtn.com
