Alcaraz off to winning start at ATP Finals with win over De Minaur
Shelton was broken in the opening and closing games of the first set, unable to take advantage of a break point at 2-1 down while Sinner was always capable of pulling out an ace at the crucial time, hitting two in that fourth game to hold serve.
Twice ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev booked his place in the season-ending championship after progressing to the semi-finals of the Vienna Open on Friday, marking his eighth qualification in the past nine seasons.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner reached the semi-finals of the ATP Finals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over two-times winner Alexander Zverev on Wednesday, with Ben Shelton eliminated after losing earlier to Felix Auger-Aliassime in the same group.
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime reached the last four of the ATP Finals with a 6-4, 7-6(4) round-robin win over two-times winner Alexander Zverev on Friday and Jannik Sinner extended his indoor hardcourt unbeaten run by beating American Ben Shelton.
The 38-year-old said he had been dealing with the injury throughout the tournament in Athens.
Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime came from a set down to earn his first victory at this year's ATP Finals in Turin with a 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-5 win over American Ben Shelton on Wednesday.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are poised to reignite their rivalry at the ATP Finals, with the year-ending championship that begins on Sunday expected to produce another title showdown between the pair in a season that has belonged to them.
Jannik Sinner began his bid to retain the ATP Finals title with a resounding 7-5, 6-1 win over injury-hit Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime in their round-robin clash.
Defending champion Jannik Sinner stormed to a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Alex de Minaur in the last four of the ATP Finals on Saturday, as the Australian suffered his 13th straight loss to the four-time Grand Slam winner despite a fighting start.
Carlos Alcaraz began his bid for a first ATP Finals trophy with a win over Alex de Minaur and Alexander Zverev overpowered Ben Shelton in their round-robin openers.
Australian Alex de de Minaur advanced to the semi-finals, where he will face Jannik Sinner.
Jannik Sinner battled past Spanish world number one and rival Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(4), 7-5 in the decider to win the season-ending championships.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz eased to a 6-2, 6-4 win over Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime at the ATP Finals on Saturday to set up a highly-anticipated title decider with defending champion Jannik Sinner.
Rohan Bopanna and his Australian partner Matthew Ebden have clinched a spot in the prestigious season-ending ATP Finals, marking the Indian's fourth appearance in the tournament.
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz made light of feeling under the weather as he dispatched Russia's Andrey Rublev in impressive fashion to revive his ATP Finals hopes on Wednesday.
Defending ATP Finals champion Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the season-ending event in Turin through injury, the Serbian said on Tuesday.
Daniil Medvedev has called for a streamlined ATP calendar with only Grand Slams and Masters 1000 tournaments offering ranking points, though the Russian concedes such reforms would be difficult to implement.
Jannik Sinner became the first Italian to win the ATP Finals title following a dominant 6-4, 6-4 victory over American Taylor Fritz.
Daniil Medvedev might have to delay his holiday plans a while longer after rediscovering his spark to beat Australia's Alex de Minaur in straight sets at the ATP Finals on Tuesday.
Jannik Sinner's stupendous year may have been clouded by an anti-doping controversy but on the court he is finishing the season like an express train and has won 25 of his last 26 matches.
Taylor Fritz became the first American since 2006 to reach the title match at the ATP Finals after winning a slugfest against world number two Alexander Zverev in on Saturday.
Carlos Alcaraz said on Tuesday he has pulled out of the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna due to a swollen hamstring.
Rohan Bopanna and partner Matthew Ebden were defeated by the Italian duo of Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in their opening match.
A sluggish Carlos Alcaraz was beaten 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4 by Alexander Zverev on the his debut at the ATP Finals on Monday to continue his end-of-year slump with a third straight defeat.
Taylor Fritz moved closer to the semis of the season-ending ATP Finals after the American beat Alex de Minaur 5-7 6-4 6-3 in their last group game on Thursday, but he will have to wait and see if Jannik Sinner can take a set off Daniil Medvedev.
Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock 6-1, 7-5 defeat against Norway's Casper Ruud in his opening match at the ATP Finals
Alcaraz topped the Red Group and will face Green Group runner-up Novak Djokovic in a mouth-watering semi-final.
Jannik Sinner made it two wins out of two at the ATP Finals as he fought off Taylor Fritz in a high-octane clash inside the Inalpi Arena on Tuesday.
Carlos Alcaraz says winning all four Grand Slams at 22 has only fuelled his hunger, but the world No. 1 insists he won't chase a calendar Slam, choosing instead to take the majors one at a time.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz cruised past Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-2, 6-1 to win the Qatar Open on Saturday and extend his perfect start to the year.
Jannik Sinner returns to the Australian Open targeting a third straight title as the Italian seeks to impose a level of supremacy reminiscent of Novak Djokovic's stranglehold on the year's opening Grand Slam.
Djokovic did not do much wrong as he battled Sinner and the crowd - regularly jesting with the fans who jeered him throughout the duel.
Djokovic was soundly beaten by Zverev in the 2018 final, a match played out in an electrifying atmosphere in front of 18,000 fans. This time the arena was empty because of the COVID-19 lockdown, a surreal backdrop for a match with so much riding on it for both men.
World number eight Mirra Andreeva warmed up for the Australian Open with a comfortable 6-3, 6-1 victory over fellow teenager Victoria Mboko in the Adelaide International final on Saturday to claim her fourth WTA Tour title.
As he chases Grand Slam success, Alexander Zverev describes the unseen routines and discipline behind playing tennis with type 1 diabetes.
Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are among the world's top players calling for the Davis Cup to return to its traditional home-and-away format and be staged over two years, a proposal backed by ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.
India No. 1 Sumit Nagal exited the Chennai Open ATP Challenger after a three-set defeat to Russia's Petr Bar Biryukov in the second round.
Factbox on Carlos Alcaraz, who beat Serbian fourth seed Novak Djokovic to win his first Australian Open title on Sunday, increasing his overall Grand Slam tally to seven.
Lorenzo Musetti brushed aside Taylor Fritz in straight sets to reach his first Australian Open quarter-final, setting up a blockbuster last-eight clash with Novak Djokovic at Melbourne Park.
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