Jannik Sinner makes winning start to ATP Finals, cools Alex de Minaur in Turin

Jannik Sinner stormed to his first win of the week at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals, easing past Alex de Minaur, 6-3, 6-4.

The world No. 1 fell one match short of winning the season-ending championships in 2023 but parlayed that momentum into a breakthrough 2024, showing plenty of that scintillating form against the No. 7 seed to win in one hour and 24 minutes and improve to 1-0 in the Ilie Nastase Group.

A straight-sets victory over De Minaur, who is competing in his first ATP Finals, puts him in pole position to qualify for the semifinals, which he likely can do as early as his next match.

Sinner is in the midst of a supreme stretch since winning the Cincinnati Open in late August, winning titles at the US Open, the Six Kings exhibition, and the Rolex Shanghai Masters, with his one loss coming to Carlos Alcaraz in the China Open finals.

The Italian’s tremendous form assured him the ATP Year-End No. 1 ranking long before arriving in Turin, but Sinner still has plenty to play for, not the least of which being a first ATP Finals title.

It was at this tournament a year ago that he stunned Novak Djokovic in round-robin play. Though Djokovic avenged the defeat in the final, Sinner got the better of the 24-time Grand Slam champion at their next two meetings in Davis Cup and the Australian Open, where the 23-year-old went on to win his first Grand Slam title.

Winning both the season’s hard-court Slams, Sinner comes to Turin as a clear favorite to take the title, but the top seed first had to get past an in-form De Minaur, who became the first Australian man to make it to the ATP Finals in 20 years (Lleyton Hewitt, 2004).

The Aussie made his Top 10 debut earlier this season and made three straight major quarterfinals, putting himself in contention for Turin with a run to the last eight at the Rolex Paris Masters.

But Sinner was a decidedly unlucky first opponent for De Minaur, who has never beaten the Italian in seven previous attempts—including on indoor hard courts in Rotterdam back in February.

Sinner indeed hit the ground running on Sunday following Taylor Fritz’s dominant win over Daniil Medvedev, recovering from an early break deficit to reel off five of the next six games to take the opening set. The second was slowed mainly by a delay due to a spectator needing medical attention; otherwise, Sinner remained completely in control.

Breaking De Minaur in that very game, Sinner converted match point with an ace, clinching decisive victory that put him up an early win in group play.