Jannik Sinner Defends ATP Finals Title with Strong Win

TURÍN, Italia (AP) — Jannik Sinner began the defense of his ATP Finals title with a commanding victory on Monday, defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-5, 6-1 in front of enthusiastic local fans.

Sinner, who won the title in Turin last year without dropping a set, is looking to finish the year as the world number one. To accomplish this, he must win the year-end tournament featuring the top eight players while hoping Carlos Alcaraz does not reach the final.

In his most recent encounter, Auger-Aliassime, seeded eighth, struggled due to a left calf issue, requiring medical attention twice during the second set. Sinner has had a perfect record against Auger-Aliassime this year, having beaten him in all four matches, including the semifinals of the U.S. Open and the recent final at the Paris Masters.

Sinner and Alexander Zverev currently lead the Bjorn Borg group with one victory each, following Zverev’s win over Ben Shelton on Sunday. The top two players from each group will advance to the semifinals.

Earlier in the day, Taylor Fritz defeated Lorenzo Musetti, who was a last-minute replacement, in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. Fritz, who has tournament experience having reached the final last year and the semifinals in his debut in 2022, had prepared all week on indoor courts.

“I would say it’s a very important win if I want to survive the group,” said Fritz. “He plays quite differently with the slices and all that. It took me some time to adjust.”

Musetti stepped in after Novak Djokovic withdrew due to a shoulder injury sustained during the final in Athens. The Italian arrived in Turin on Sunday but couldn’t capitalize on the support of his hometown crowd. “I couldn’t be 100% fit, especially physically,” Musetti said. “Mentally, I’m really happy to be here. I’m super proud of myself and my team for what we’ve achieved. Today, I tried to fight with what I had.”

Fritz and Alcaraz both lead the Jimmy Connors group with one win each, while De Minaur and Musetti are both trailing with one loss each. On Tuesday, Fritz will face Alcaraz, while Musetti will play against Alex de Miñaur.