Sinner books ATP finals title clash after dominant win over De Minaur

Defending champion Jannik Sinner will look to end his season on a high after booking his place in the ATP Finals title match with a straight-sets win over Alex de Minaur. The Italian, who could meet Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final, produced another composed performance to win 7-5, 6-2 in Turin, Sport360NG reports.

The world number two had to stay patient during a tight, 66-minute opening set as De Minaur’s trademark determination and court coverage forced him into long exchanges. But once Sinner edged in front, he shifted gears, dominating the second set to reach his third successive final at the year-ending event.

Sinner has now extended his unbeaten streak on indoor hard courts to 30 matches and has yet to drop a set at the tournament since last year’s final defeat to Novak Djokovic. Remarkably, he has not been broken throughout this year’s edition.

In Sunday’s showdown, he will face either newly crowned year-end world number one Alcaraz or Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime as he aims to become just the fourth man this century, after Lleyton Hewitt, Roger Federer and Djokovic, to defend the title.

“I’m very happy. This is the last event of the year, so it’s great to finish like this,” Sinner said. “It was a tough match, especially early on. Alex was serving really well. In the second set I tried to be more aggressive and it paid off. Tomorrow, I’ll enjoy it and give everything. It’s been an amazing week.”

The strong finish caps a year of mixed emotions for the 24-year-old. On court, Sinner has enjoyed his second-most successful season in terms of trophies, collecting five titles, including a successful Australian Open defence and his first Wimbledon crown. Off court, however, he served a three-month suspension earlier in the year after two positive drug tests. Although the ban acknowledged he had not intentionally doped, the episode drew criticism from some players.

Backed by a loud home crowd on Saturday, none of that appeared to weigh on him. After saving three break points in an uncertain opening game, Sinner dropped just four points on serve in the rest of the first set. De Minaur pushed him hard, surviving four deuce games through sheer grit and scrambling defence, but the Australian finally cracked in the 11th game as Sinner converted his eighth break point of the match.

From there, Sinner seized complete control, winning seven games in a row to take the first set and establish a 4-0 lead in the second. He wrapped up the victory on his second match point. Having opted out of Italy’s Davis Cup squad next week, this final will be his last appearance of 2025, and a chance to close the year on a triumphant note.

Patten ensures British success in doubles final

While Britain had no singles representation this year, the doubles event will produce a British champion after Henry Patten reached Sunday’s final alongside Finland’s Harri Heliovaara. The pair beat Italian duo Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-4, 6-3 in Saturday’s first semi-final.

Patten and Heliovaara, who lifted the Australian Open title in January for their second Grand Slam success, have enjoyed a strong season, adding further titles in Beijing and Paris. The trip has also been memorable for Patten off the court, as he became engaged to his partner Ellie last weekend.

They will face one of two all-British teams in the final, with the second semi-final pitching Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski against top seeds Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool.