Alex de Minaur's 13-game losing streak against Jannik Sinner extends in horror ATP Finals match
Alex de Minaur's troubling run against Jannik Sinner has continued, with the Australian star suffering his 13th consecutive defeat to the italian star at the ATP Finals.
Sinner beat de Minaur comfortably, 7-5, 6-2, to reach the championship match of the ATP Finals before his home fans.
The second-ranked Sinner is aiming to retain his title in the season-ending tournament for the year’s top eight players. In the final, Sinner will face Alcaraz or Felix Auger-Aliassime, who are scheduled to play later on Sunday (AEDT).
FOLLOW LIVE: Wallabies v Ireland
READ MORE: Cycling hasn't felt the same since Cadel. He has a theory for why
READ MORE: Why Curnow foreshadowed AFL's money making ploy
Alcaraz already secured the year-ending No. 1 ranking but is seeking to reach his first final at this event.
Alex de Minaur plays a backhand during his semi-final against Jannik Sinner. LightRocket via Getty Images
Sinner and Alcaraz have met in the last three Grand Slam finals: Alcaraz beat Sinner in a fifth-set tiebreaker to win the French Open; Sinner gained a measure of revenge by beating Alcaraz for the Wimbledon trophy; then Alcaraz again came out on top at the US Open.
Sinner also won the Australian Open — beating Alexander Zverev in the final — so he and Alcaraz each won two majors this year.
It’s the third consecutive final in Turin for Sinner, who hasn’t dropped a set at finals since getting beat by Novak Djokovic in the 2023 championship match — a run of 18 consecutive sets.
Sinner saved three break points in his opening service game after falling behind 0-40 and then finally managed to break De Minaur for a 6-5 advantage before serving the set out.
Alex de Minaur reacts against Jannik Sinner during the Nitto ATP Semi Finals 2025. Getty
At that point in the match, former world No.4 Tim Henman admitted in commentary on Sky Sports that the game had already been won by Sinner.
"De Minaur has had a great year; he did very well to get through to the semi-finals. He knew that he had to play out of his comfort zone," the former British player said
"He knew he had to take risks and keep going for his shots, and the reality was, he was able to do that for 10 games to get to 5-5.
"But then ... Sinner hits a couple of great shots and there is a break of serve."
The second set was never really in question, as Sinner jumped out to a 4-0 lead.
“I was happy with how I served and with how I reacted in the important moments,” Sinner said.
Jannik Sinner celebrates after defeating Alex de Minaur. Getty
Sinner extended his winning streak on indoor hard courts to 31 matches — also stretching back to that 2023 final against Djokovic. He hasn't dropped his serve this week.
Sinner’s first pro victory over De Minaur came in 2019 in the final of the Next Gen ATP Finals. Sinner has won 29 of the 31 sets they've played.
“I know how to beat him. It’s just not that easy to do,” De Minaur said.
“You’ve got to hit the ball very hard, very flat, very deep and very close to the lines.
"It is something that I try to do, but it’s obviously not the easiest thing to do ... I need to serve well throughout the whole match.
"I feel like I should have finished my Turin campaign having won two matches instead of one, but you can't really change the past.
"I keep thinking I still have a lot to give. I haven't reached my peak yet, but I have to be careful about how much I push beyond my limits and how much pressure I put on myself, because that's what takes me into those dark places. I need to find a healthy balance."
