Top seed Carlos Alcaraz started his bid for a first ATP Finals title with a 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Australia’s Alex De Minaur in Turin on Sunday.
Alcaraz won despite De Minaur’s fightback, who came from 4-1 down to force a tiebreak in the first set. In the second set, Alcaraz broke twice more to lead 4-1, and De Minaur couldn’t recover.
Both players were hoping to improve on last year: Alcaraz lost two of three round-robin matches, and De Minaur lost all three.
“It was a really tough match,” said Alcaraz. “Alex is fast and difficult to play on this surface. I’m happy to get through this challenge.”
Alcaraz is also aiming to end the year as world number one. He must win at least one round-robin match or sweep the group to secure the top spot.
Later, German two-time champion Alexander Zverev will play Ben Shelton from the USA in the Bjorn Borg Group.
The ATP Finals features the world’s top eight singles players and doubles teams.
The tournament has a record prize pool of $15.5 million and 1,500 ranking points, finishing with the final at the Inalpi Arena on 16 November.
