Also renewed at the ATP Finals in Turin is the challenge between Spaniard n.1 in the world Carlos Alcaraz and Italian Jannik Sinner, currently ranked n.2
Alcaraz – Sinners 1-1 in first set LIVE
ANSA Agency Harri Heliovaara and Henri Patten triumphed in the doubles In the final they beat England’s Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski in two sets EVENING
This year’s challenge comes again and applies to the ATP Finals in Turin, the ‘Masters’ tournament. They will face each other on Sunday, starting at 6 pm, at the Inalpi Arena which has been sold out for days (13,000 tickets sold, the last one last Tuesday for 2,300 euros). The Spaniard, world No. 1, came into the deciding match in top form: in the semifinals he beat Felix Auger Aliassime 6-2, 6-4. Jannik Sinner reached the final for the third year in a row after an unstoppable run, four wins from four matches and not a set dropped. “I’m happy to be able to play another final with Jannik, I will be very focused because I know the crowd will support him” said the Spaniard after beating the Canadian.
Alcaraz
The last person to succumb to excessive South Tyrolean power was Alex De Minaur. The semi-final ended 7-5 6-2 after a match lasting one hour and 52 minutes. However, this is not a healthy path for Sinner, despite the one-sided precedent (12 nil). The first set opened with an Italian attack: two break points at once, but the Australian canceled them. In the second game, it was Sinner who lost, 0-40: with three great serves he recovered and took the lead at 1-1. The stoic De Minaur began moving from one side of the pitch to the other, pulling off a miraculous recovery that kept him afloat. Sinner had no problems spinning his serve but had difficulty responding to his opponent, who was never subdued. Tensions increased, the crowd became heated (even throwing boos out of context when the image on the big screen showed Carlos Alcaraz’s entrance into the Inalpi Arena). Sinner collected break points, the good one being his eighth which projects him to 6-5. The close at this point was child’s play: 7-5 in one hour and six minutes.
Sinner
More music in the second set. The champion from San Candido raised the level, immediately stealing his opponent’s serve. Carried away by the public’s enthusiasm, Sinner entered ‘Sinner’ mode, leaving the confused De Minaur unable to escape. The blue ones “in grenades” begin a regular bombardment from the base line. A backhand down the line cut through the Australian’s defense like a knife through butter. A partial from 24 points to 8 ensured a 4-0 score in just a few minutes. Game closed? No, De Minaur has fighting in his DNA and has found the strength to push himself to the breaking point. But all in vain. The sinner rejects it again, without appeal. The set ends 6-2, and everyone goes home. “I’ve made a big step forward – he said post-match – compared to last year. This year, if I see myself playing, I have to say that I served better and played better. I hope that tomorrow will be a beautiful final with a very high level of tennis. To do this there will be two players who are at their best. Let the best players win and make it a good match, then we’ll see how it goes.”
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