The 2025 Nitto ATP Finals got underway on Sunday, featuring the Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg Group opening singles matches.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz became the first player to qualify for the 2025 edition of the season finale event held at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, kick-starting action on Sunday with a commanding tennis showing.
On Day 1, the 22-year-old, who landed in the Jimmy Connors Group, overcame seventh seed Alex de Minaur, making his second appearance at the venue, with a 7-6(5), 6-2 win in one hour and 40 minutes on the Pala Alpitour court.
“We’re playing against the best players in the world, which shows how difficult and important it is,” he outlined, speaking about the tournament.
“I’ve been struggling in the past few years to come to the end of the year with motivation. This year is a little bit different, which I’m proud of. I’m doing the right things to give myself a shot to try and win this tournament.”
Alcaraz got off to an explosive start, quickly opening a 4-1 lead; however, his lack of consistency put him on the back foot, as unforced errors allowed his opponent to recover lost ground.
The relentless Australian player dug deep, going toe-to-toe with the No. 1 Spanish raquet, forcing a tiebreak.
However, de Minaur’s impressive 5-3 lead vanished before his eyes at the hands of the six-time Grand Slam champion, who surged from the brink, winning four points in a row to inch ahead 7-6(5) in 62 minutes.
Restless, they went back to the court, exchanging a trade of breaks to begin writing the second chapter of a scintillating encounter.
Alcaraz dictated the rhythm, breaking in the third and fifth games, damaging his opponent with his ferocious ball-striking while delighting the crowd, generating some spectacular volleys.
He notched his first opening match win at the tournament, wrapping up 6-2 in 37 minutes, hitting 32 winners overall.
The top seed is bidding for a maiden title at the prestigious competition and to secure the Year-End No. 1 over defending champion Jannik Sinner, also in contention.
Meanwhile, the Sunday evening singles contest featured world No. 3 Alexander Zverev against fifth seed Ben Shelton, setting off Bjorn Borg Group play.
The German player, a two-time ATP Finals winner, entered as the favorite against the young American, holding a 4-0 lead in their series.
In their fourth meeting this season, Zverev came out on fire to steal the opener 6-3 in just 28 minutes.
The third seed stayed flawless behind his service, dropping just one point on his own serve, while breaking twice the American, making his debut at the venue, on their way to a second set.
The lefty regrouped, kicking up level; he held his ground in lengthy baseline rallies, fending off break points in a dramatic fourth game, adding pressure on Zverev, who stayed the course.
As the set wore on, they went with serves, which led into a tiebreaker.
Shelton took the initiative, delivering his booming serve to pull ahead 4-0; from there, the former champion flipped the script, saving set points in the process before roaring to close out 7-6(6) in unrelenting fashion after 93 minutes.
“He’s an unbelievably aggressive player. Probably one of the most aggressive in the world,” said the 28-year-old about Shelton.
“In the tiebreak, he started amazing. I missed maybe one or two first serves, and the passing shot he hit (at 5/4) was ridiculous. I felt like I had to control the things that I could control, and I was doing them well.”
The Hamburg-born won 84 percent of the points on his first serve and 70 percent on his second.
In addition, his performance on the return made a huge difference, recording a return rate of 156 compared to his adversary’s 46.
“At the end of the day, when the point is on his serve, it is always in his control,” he added. “When I get the return and in the rally, then I can do something. I did that well at the end of the tiebreak, and I’m super happy with that win.”
Moreover, he did not face a break point in the entire match, converting two of five break-point opportunities.
An ankle injury sustained last week during the Rolex Paris Masters semifinals cast doubts on the German’s fitness.
Nonetheless, he showed no signs of discomfort throughout an intense match, standing as a strong contender for the title.
The world’s best eight qualified singles players competing in Turin are Alcaraz, Sinner, Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Shelton, De Minaur, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Lorenzo Musetti.