Jannik Sinner looks to defend his ATP Finals crown from World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz when the world’s best players gather for the year-end tournament in Turin.
Sinner won his first ATP Finals title in front of his home fans in Italy last year, defeating Taylor Fritz in the title match to cap a dominant season after losing to Novak Djokovic the previous year.
This time, Sinner will face competition from a refreshed Alcaraz, who will be motivated to win his first ATP Finals after the Spaniard was knocked out in the group stages of last year’s event.
The World No 1 ranking will also be on the line after Sinner won the Paris Masters to reclaim top spot from Alcaraz and close the gap on the year-end position.
Joining Sinner, Alcaraz are Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Musetti, with the Italian replacing Novak Djokovic – who withdrew due to a shoulder injury after winning the Athens Open.
ATP Finals results and schedule
Sunday 9 November
Singles
Carlos Alcaraz (1), def. Alex de Minaur (7), 7-6 (5), 6-2
Alexander Zverev (3), def. Ben Shelton (5), 6-3, 7-6 (6).
Doubles
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos (3) def. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz (6), 6-4, 4-6, 10-6
Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori (7), def. Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash (1), 7-5, 6-3.
Monday 10 November: Singles, doubles round-robin
From 10:30am: Joe Salisbury, Neal Skupski (5) vs Marcelo Arevalo, Mate Pavic (2)
Not before 1pm: Lorenzo Musetti (9) vs Taylor Fritz (6)
Not before 5pm: Henri Heliovaara, Henry Patten (4) vs Christian Harrison, Evan King (8)
Not before 7:30pm: Jannik Sinner (2) vs Felix Auger-Aliassime (8)
Tuesday 11 November: Singles, doubles round-robin
TBC
Wednesday 12 November: Singles, doubles round-robin
Thursday 13 November: Singles, doubles round-robin
Friday 14 November: Singles, doubles round-robin
Saturday 15 November: Singles, doubles semi-finals
Sunday 16 November: Singles, doubles finals
How Alcaraz can keep World No 1
Alcaraz will be attempting to win the ATP Finals for the first time and will head into the tournament following his shock second-round defeat to Cameron Norrie in Paris, a result which opened the door for Sinner to reclaim the No 1 position.
Even if Sinner wins the ATP Finals undefeated, Alcaraz can keep the World No 1 spot by taking at least 500 ranking points from the tournament. This could be done by winning all three round-robin matches, or by winning at least one of his round-robin matches and also winning his semi-final.
Alcaraz began his week with a 7-6 6-2 win over Alex de Minaur.
How Sinner can reclaim World No 1
Sinner needs to win the ATP Finals to have any chance of catching Alcaraz and even then, as outlined above, it’s not in the Italian’s hands.
A defeat for Sinner during the round-robin would also increase Alcaraz’s chances of finishing top. If Sinner loses one match, Alcaraz would require just two wins; if he loses two matches, Alcaraz would require just one victory.
At the ATP Finals, players received 200 points for a round-robin win, 400 points for a semi-finals win, and a further 500 for winning the title. An undefeated champion, with five wins, can earn a maximum of 1,500 points.
