Jannik Sinner began his ATP Finals title defence in Turin with a commanding straight-sets victory over a physically hampered Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday, delighting a passionate home crowd as he continued his bid for the year-end world number one ranking.
The Italian second seed was near flawless on serve in a 7-5, 6-1 win over the Canadian, who struggled after tweaking his left calf late in the first set. Auger-Aliassime, the eighth seed, had matched Sinner’s aggression early on and came within two points of forcing a tie-break before the injury halted his momentum. He called for the physiotherapist twice in the second set and managed to win just one game.
Sinner, imperious throughout, was taken to deuce only once in ten service games and sealed victory with an ace. He won 24 of 27 first-serve points, did not face a break point and maintained his perfect record behind his first delivery. The win extended his unbeaten streak on indoor hard courts to 27 matches and put him top of the Bjorn Borg Group.
The 23-year-old has not lost to a top-10 opponent other than Carlos Alcaraz since August 2024, when he was beaten by Andrey Rublev after playing two matches in one day. He now needs to defend his title and hope Alcaraz loses a group match and fails to reach the final to retain the top ranking.
In the opposite group, Alcaraz opened his campaign with a straight-sets win over Alex de Minaur on Sunday.
Earlier, American world number six Taylor Fritz began his tournament with a composed 6-3, 6-4 victory over Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the Jimmy Connors Group. Fritz, last year’s runner-up to Sinner, dropped just three points on serve in the second set and none behind his first serve until the final game.
Musetti, who secured his place at the event only after Novak Djokovic’s late withdrawal following his Athens Open win, started brightly and earned four early break points but failed to convert. Fatigue told as the match wore on, with seven of his nine service games going to deuce.
“I was a little shaky at the start and letting him dictate a bit too much,” Fritz told Sky Sports. “It was a bit nervy, which is expected. I was able to loosen up and started playing a lot better.”
In doubles, Britons Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski opened their campaign with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Salvadoran Marcelo Arevalo and Croatia’s Mate Pavic. No all-British pair has ever won the season-ending title, though Salisbury lifted it alongside American Rajeev Ram in 2022 and 2023.
Britain’s Henry Patten and Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara also made a strong start, beating Americans Christian Harrison and Evan King 6-4, 6-4.
