The Japan Times - Alcaraz secures ATP Finals showdown with 'favourite' Sinner

Alcaraz cruised past Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-4 in Turin to set up the title match with Sinner all tennis fans wanted to see after a series of thrilling battles between the pair this year.

The Spaniard has had the better of his clashes with Sinner 10-5, and has won four of this season's five meetings which have all come in the final of top-level tournaments.

Alcaraz triumphed in the finals of the US Open and Roland Garros, the latter after roaring back from two sets down and saving three match points, but lost the Wimbledon final to Sinner.

And he believes that Sinner, a 7-5, 6-2 winner over Alex de Minaur earlier on Saturday, is favourite to lift the trophy on Sunday in front of his home fans.

"I mean, I'm the number one... and he's playing the best on indoor court. We're playing in front of his home crowd, so I would say he's the favourite," Alcaraz told reporters.

"Don't want to believe it, but I would say he's the favourite for tomorrow."

Sunday's final has extra spice due to Alcaraz pipping Sinner to the top spot in the men's rankings at the end of 2025 and him contesting his 11th final of the season in front of a partisan Italian crowd.

"Well, I expect at least three or four people in the crowd cheering for me," Alcaraz joked.

"Obviously the people are going to be cheering for him but I will try to be really, really focused on my game and on the things that I have to do."

Canada's Auger-Aliassime is an indoor specialist, having won seven of his eight titles on indoor courts but even he could not handle Alcaraz who took control of the match by breaking serve in game four of the first set with a brilliant hooked volley.

Alcaraz breezed into a one-set lead with another break of serve and then completed his victory without much difficulty and without having to play his most spectacular tennis.

- Sinner awaits -

Sinner has yet to drop a service game but will have a much tougher test against Alcaraz after the second seed racked up his 13th straight win over De Minaur.

"Honestly every matchup (with Alcaraz) is different. We saw it in Rome and Paris, even if it's the same surface (clay), it can change," said Sinner.

Sinner has won his last 18 sets played in Turin and the four-time Grand Slam champion is on a 30-match winning streak on indoor hard courts.

The 24-year-old has not dropped a set at the ATP Finals since losing the 2023 final to Novak Djokovic, while De Minaur ends his year in a more upbeat mood than the one he had after losing to Lorenzo Musetti in the group stage.

De Minaur admitted that he had been in a "dark place" after that loss which almost cost him a place in the last four before he beat Taylor Fritz to set up Saturday's clash with Sinner.

"I had a little shift in perspective. Of course, like, sitting here right now, I feel like I should have finished my Turin campaign having won two matches instead of one," De Minaur told reporters.

De Minaur fought off two break points in the opening game of the semi-final but then failed to convert any of the three he carved out in Sinner's first service game.

The Australian resisted again when Sinner threatened to break in the seventh and ninth games, but the second seed eventually struck the key blow at 5-5 and snatched the first set.

Sinner surged 4-0 ahead in the second set before wrapping up his ninth straight win at the tournament, becoming the youngest player since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to reach three finals at the season-ending event.

T.Ueda--JT