Carlos Alcaraz triumphs over Alex de Minaur in ATP Finals opener

Carlos Alcaraz has started his quest for a archetypal ATP Finals crown with a straight-set triumph implicit Alex de Minaur

TURIN, Italy -- Carlos Alcaraz got his bid to triumph a archetypal ATP Finals crown — and assertion the year-end No. 1 ranking — disconnected to a affirmative commencement connected Sunday with a straight-set triumph implicit Alex de Minaur.

Alcaraz recovered from a topsy-turvy opening acceptable to triumph 7-6 (5), 6-2 implicit the seventh-seeded De Minaur successful the opening lucifer of the season-ending lawsuit for the apical 8 men’s players.

American Ben Shelton makes his ATP Finals debut aboriginal Sunday against two-time champion Alexander Zverev.

Top-seeded Alcaraz is progressive successful a tussle with defending champion Jannik Sinner to extremity the twelvemonth arsenic No. 1 and the Spaniard tin unafraid that — careless of what his rival does — if helium reaches the final.

Alcaraz seemed successful steadfast power of the opening set. He had already breached De Minaur to emotion and threatened to bash the aforesaid successful the sixth crippled to spell 5-1 up, but the Australian fought backmost to deuce earlier staving disconnected different interruption constituent and past taking the game.

De Minaur past broke backmost and took the acceptable to a tiebreaker wherever helium had a 5-3 vantage earlier Alcaraz rallied.

The 22-year-old Alcaraz dominated the 2nd set, dropping his service aboriginal but winning each the different games and sealing the triumph with a cross-court backhand connected his 2nd lucifer point.

Taylor Fritz is besides successful the Jimmy Connors radical with Alcaraz, De Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti, who replaced the injured Novak Djokovic.

The Bjorn Borg radical has Sinner, Zverev, Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The apical 2 finishers successful each radical beforehand to the semifinals.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

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