By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, November 16, 2025Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
In this ongoing rivalry race, there is no finite finish line.
Passionate pursuit powered Jannik Sinner past Carlos Alcaraz today to seize back-to-back Turin title triumphs in a thriller.
Sinner saved a set point in the 12th game, battled back from a break down at 1-3 in the second set and burst by Alcaraz 7-6(4), 7-5 to capture his second straight ATP Finals championship without surrendering a set. A committed Sinner, who saved two of three break points, stretched his hard-court winning streak to 31 matches.
“It’s been a very tough, tough match, obviously,” Sinner told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj afterward. “Set point [down] in the first set. It was a very close match. I made a couple of double faults, but I tried to go for it and I’m extremely happy. It’s all part of the process.
“It’s about finishing the season with this kind of moment especially here in Turin, it’s amazing for me. It’s very tough to describe how I feel because I thought last year was amazing. This year is even more, defending my title, feeling this emotions after the week I’ve had. It’s amazing.”
BACK-TO-BACK SINNER 🗣️@janniksin defends his #NittoATPFinals title without dropping a set ‼️ pic.twitter.com/jaClBVnVzl
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 16, 2025
A streaking Sinner closes this superb season on a 15-match winning roll and collects a record $5 Million champion’s check as well as 1,500-ranking points for this Turin title run.
Alcaraz praised Sinner as a worthy winner and issued a parting challenge: buckle up for another riveting run in 2026.
““I’m really, really happy with the level I played today—with the performance,” said Alcaraz, who will try to dethrone Sinner and complete the career Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January. “I played against someone that haven’t lost a match on an indoor court since two years. So that means how great player you are with your team putting a great work every time comeback really strong—even stronger—after every loss. You don’t have many, but after every loss you come back stronger.
“Well deserved final. It is a great year for you, time to rest. Hope you are going to be ready for next year because I will be ready.”
In the end, the game’s greatest rivalries, who started these ATP Finals practicing together, reunited in an embrace of respect. Pushing each other to obscure areas on the game’s greatest stages they continue to take tennis to new heights combining to claim the last eight straight Grand Slam championships and last two Turin titles.
Game recognises game. 🤝
Another epic encounter between two great rivals#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/rEv1lKbpTn
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 16, 2025
“Carlos, amazing season. A lot of great, great memories you have done for your career,” Sinner told Alcaraz during the trophy presentation. “You really deserve [No. 1]. You are definitely a player I look up to a lot of motivation. I need this.
“Every practice session with a big, big purpose. The whole fans here are very happy to see you play, you are the most energetic player on tour.”
The top-ranked Alcaraz is undisputed ATP king.
The second-ranked Sinner remains roof ruler.
Sinner scored his 31st straight indoor hard-court victory before roaring home fans and posted his 10th consecutive Turin victory.
It’s Sinner’s second win over Alcaraz in six meetings this season.
The 24-year-old Italian recently dethroned two-time Wimbledon winner Alcaraz at SW19 and looked commanding in a four-set win—that very well could have been straight sets—leaving the second-seeding Spaniard in the rare position of looking confused. Alcaraz answered dethroning defending champion Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to capture his second US Open championship and supplant Sinner as world No. 1 in September.
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Entering today’s final clash, Sinner had lsot seven of the last eight meetings vs. Alcaraz dating back to the start of 2024 (excluding his Six Kings Slams exhibition wins) and was chasing the Spaniard again down set point at 5-6.
This time, Sinner showed committed closing kick in a two hour, 15-minute triumph that featured some twists and turns—Alcaraz suffered a right hamstring injury, play was halted for 11 minutes to attend to an ill fan, Sinner carved out the key break back with a framed forehand return in the second set—yet Sinner stayed calm and struck with conviction down the stretch defending his title on home turf and narrowing Alcaraz’s lead to 10-6 in their historic head-to-head series.
This clash marked the first time the world’s top two-ranked men squared off in the ATP Finals title match since 2016 when Andy Murray lit up London’s O2 Arena defeating Novak Djokovic to secure the season-ending world No. 1 ranking.
Riding a 30-match indoor hard-court winning streak into the final before adoring home fans, Sinner won the coin toss and elected to receive.
The lanky Italian was serving at deuce when a scary scene unfolded as a fan fell ill in the upper deck stopping play. Given two elderly fans died last week—one was stricken inside Inalpi Arena and another fell ill in the fan village—understandably staff proceeded with caution as the players stood at net discussing the situation.
After about an 11-and-a-half minute delay play resumed, Sinner savaged an inside-out forehand, followed it forward and knocked off a forehand volley for deuce. Sinner smacked an ace down the T holding through that tricky game to level after four games.
Trailing 15-30 in the next game, Alcaraz banged a bold backhand strike down the line that helped him navigate a deuce hold for 3-2.
The 2000 ATP Finals champion Gustavo Kuerten earned a huge ovation when the spotlight shined on him during a changeover. A smiling Guga waved to fans and looked impressed as Alcaraz showed his explosiveness slamming successive running forehand winners holding for 5-4.
Those two strikes seemed to take a toll: Alcaraz took a medical timeout for treatment of an apparent right hamstring strain.
The top-seed Spaniard’s movement didn’t seem slowed when he followed up a running forehand strike with a brilliant drop volley and stretch volley for set point in the 12th game.
A gutsy Sinner reached back and scorched a second serve to erase set point. Clad completely in plum-colored Nike, Sinner showed stubborn will whipping a diagonal forehand and a serve winner wide to tame trouble and score his 46th consecutive hold of the tournament to force the tiebreaker.
Nerves spiked understandably in the breaker when Alcaraz missed a backhand to cade the mini break at 2-3. Two points later, Sinner scattered a dropper wide as Alcaraz drew closer at 3-4.
Bursting out of the blocks, Sinner ran down a drop shot, lifted a lob that forced the Spaniard to speed back in retreat before the Italian knocked off a smash for 5-3. On his first set point, Sinner slammed the wide serve closing a 79-minute set—and raising his 2025 tiebreaker record to an outstanding 16-3. Sinner won exactly two more points—42 to 40—than his archrival in the first set then prepared for the response.
Returning to court with his right thigh wrapped with adhesive tape, Alcaraz was still moving fluidly. Engaging Sinner in a forehand exchange, Alcaraz cracked a crosscourt forehand drawing errant forehand reply to break Sinner for the first time in the tournament.
“I felt something the hamstring after trying to catch one serve. I could say didn’t affect me too much, to be honest, because I could run well, I could go to the balls well,” Alcaraz said afterward. “Obviously, the thoughts about how is going to be if I do crazy things that I’m used to doing, how it’s going to be, those thoughts were in my mind sometimes. But I could play well.
“Don’t get me wrong, because I’m not going to say I could play better or I could do something better if my hamstring were well. I could play a really good tennis with it. The loss is because he deserved it.”
Bombing some ballistic forehands, Alcaraz backed up the break at 30 for 2-0.
Midway through the set, Alcaraz lost some range on his favored forehand and Sinner exploited a frame job to break back. Alcaraz committed a couple of forehands to face break point for the first time in the final.
Fooled by a body serve, Sinner somehow framed a loopy forehand return that landed on the baseline. Then the Italian slid a forehand drop-shot winner raising his arms in apology over the framed return to break back for 3-all.
Despite his first serve deserting him, Sinner battled through a tight eight-minute game saving a break point when Alcaraz sailed a deep drive. A crackling 25-shot rally—longest of the match—saw Sinner draw a miss than pull a page from the Carlitos playbook putting a finger to his ear exhorting eruptive Italian fans to make more noise. Riding that wave of support, Sinner fought through a hard-fought hold for 4-3.
These two 🔥🔥🔥#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/yn7Gx6cxDQ
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 16, 2025
That hold was an example of Sinner playing pivotal points with more precision down the stretch.
“Obviously in the second set, break up. It was 30-15,” Alcaraz said. “Serving that I didn’t make it. Right now I have some points and some shots on my mind. For example, the backhand volley that I missed. I missed a few of the backhand volleys. I made a few not really well ones, which I’m reallydisappointed in that places.
“I would say that was the key because it was a really important moments that I didn’t finish the point with the backhand volley. I make him to making the passing or making the lob or making whatever. I think that was a really important shot that I didn’t do well today.”
Credit Alcaraz, whose leg wrap was slipping lower and lower, for continuing to attack. Sinner sizzled a forehand pass crosscourt holding for 6-5.
“The second set maybe the level was a bit higher because of a bit more of rallies, a bit more difficult to get through Carlos,” Sinner said. “But the key moments, they’re always there, you know? 30-All at times, if you don’t serve well… Other moments are also 2-1 in the first set. If he breaks there, the matchcould lead very fast in the other way. It’s also a part of perspective how you see the match.
“Yeah, I felt like small, small details made the difference. I was lucky when I broke him back with the shanked return. I also have to say that. No, at the end of the set I felt like we both were playing great tennis from the back of the court. The small margins are very, very small.”
Serving to try to force the tiebreaker, Alcaraz was one point from the breaker at 40-30 when Sinner sent a screaming backhand return down the line. Handcuffed by a lower Sinner pass, Alcaraz netted a challenging volley to face championship point.
On the 15th shot of the ensuing rally the world No. 1 strayed a backhand wide. Sinner dropped flat on his back and rose arms raised completing a perfect 10—10 consecutive Turin triumphs without surrendering a set.
“Of course significance is big, big,” Sinner said. “Head to head is important. But at the same time, the rivalry we have, the friendship we have off the court, it means a lot to me. Being here, feeling this, it’s obviously huge to share these kind of moments with Carlos. Extremely happy.”
