By Richard Pagliaro | Saturday, November 15, 2025Photo credit: Valerio Pennicino/Getty
Growing up in Northern Italy, Jannik Sinner spent his childhood going downhill fast.
Today, the former junior ski champion was peaking in Turin again.
Reigning champion Sinner unleashed an avalanche of damaging drives defeating Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-2 oaring into his third straight ATP Finals final.
From 4-5 down, a ruthless Sinner stormed through seven straight games that helped propel him to his ninth Turin win in a row without dropping a set in that span. Sinner served 75 percent, permitted just seven points on his first serve and saved all four break points he faced.
It is Sinner’s 30th consecutive indoor hard court triumph. The Italian power who inspired Carrot Nation joins Novak Djokovic (2018) as the second man to reach the ATP Finals title match without surrendering serve.
The 24-year-old Sinner secured his spot in his third consecutive ATP Finals title match—the youngest man since Lleyton Hewitt 21 years ago to reach three year-end finals.
The first time was so nice – he had to do it THRICE 🇮🇹@janniksin #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/TqXRA86AsT
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 15, 2025
The Wimbledon winner Sinner will face either year-end world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz or eighth-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime in tomorrow’s final.
Bidding for his maiden ATP Finals championship, the 22-year-old Alcaraz has won 10 of 15 meetings with Sinner. The pair made Open Era history as the first rivals to square off in three consecutive major finals this season. Sinner has won four of six meetings vs. Auger-Aliassime, including a 7-5, 6-1 sweep in Monday’s round-robin match.
Think about the imposing challenge de Minaur faced in his bid to become the first Aussie since his Davis Cup captain, Lleyton Hewitt, in 2004 to reach the ATP Finals. Sinner had won 27 of their prior 29 sets—and was playing in front of 17,000 roaring Italian fans who haunted the Demon when he failed to serve out the match in his 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 loss to Italian Lorenzo Musetti in round-robin play on Tuesday.
Still, de Minaur came out driving the ball down the middle immediately earning triple break point in the Australian Open champion’s opening service game. Sinner saved all three break points, including pumping an ace down the T, for his 31st straight hold in the tournament.
Midway through the set, physicality escalated. Sinner won a riveting 22-shot rally and earned two break points. In a spirited seventh game stand, de Minaur ran everything down, hit some sharp-angled backhands and held firm through a 12-point game for 4-3.
Cracking shots into the corners, Sinner stamped the first love hold of the match to even after eight games. Sprinting side-to-side, de Minaur’s determined movement and flat low strikes helped him deny a fifth break point, capping an eight-minute hold drawing an errant backhand for 5-4.
Facing break points for the fourth time in his sixth service game, de Minaur drilled an ace out wide to save a seventh break point. Casting a glance over to his coaching box as frustration built, Sinner came right back and buried a diagonal forehand into the corner for an eighth break point.
Firing back with interest 💥@janniksin lifts his level to get the first break vs de Minaur!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/QDIk0azeRB
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 15, 2025
Finally, 61 minutes into a draining set, Sinner stepped up and smoked a backhand strike down the line breaking with a clenched fist for 6-5.
On his second set point, Sinner curled the slice serve out wide closing a dogged 66-minute opening set that saw the top seed win 21 of 25 first-serve points, while a stubborn de Minaur saved seven of eight break points taking the champion to the very brink of a breaker.
Former junior ski champion Sinner slid smoothly into the corner, like a man on skates, slashing a running backhand strike down the line. That single defense to offense shot pierced de Minaur for a second straight break to start the second set.
A sharp Sinner hit a full stretch forehand return that jolted de Minaur. Sinner was swinging freely and firing his forehand with bad intentions rattling out a netted forehand for his third straight break and a 3-0 second-set lead.
The Demon never lacks in determination and he used a net-cord winner and seventh ace to finally stop his seven-game free fall and hold for 1-4 after 93 minutes.
An unbreakable Sinner scalded a diagonal forehand winner to close in one hour, 52 minutes. Sinner will carry a 57-6 2025 record into tomorrow’s final.
.webp?ssl=1 "10 quiz questions on the latest Formula 1 news")
