Carlos Alcaraz locked up the year-end No. 1 ranking and topped the Jimmy Connors Group on Thursday with a commanding 6-4, 6-1 win over Lorenzo Musetti at the ATP Finals – a victory that also propelled Alex de Minaur into the semifinals after his earlier triumph over Taylor Fritz.
The Spaniard effectively struck down two Italian hopes at once, knocking Musetti out of the season finale while crushing Jannik Sinner’s chances of reclaiming the top ranking, despite producing a performance that was solid rather than spectacular in his third straight round-robin win.
“The match was really important for me, playing for the year-end No. 1,” Alcaraz said.
“It wasn’t easy at the beginning with the nerves. I tried to handle that pressure the best I could, so I’m just really happy with the level I played and to be able to end the year as the No. 1.”
Alcaraz, who previously finished the season in top spot in 2022, has enjoyed the best year of his career, reaching the final of three Grand Slams, winning the French Open and U.S. Open, and losing the Wimbledon final – facing Sinner on all three occasions.
The 22-year-old, who won eight titles this season, remains on course to lift his first ATP Finals trophy after overcoming a spirited Musetti performance. Alcaraz broke at 5-4 in the opening set before cruising through the second.
Earlier in the day, when Alcaraz and Musetti were shown on the giant screen upon their arrival at the Inalpi Arena, the Italian received huge cheers while the Spaniard was met with boos. But by the time they walked onto the court for the match, Alcaraz was greeted by warm applause.
Alcaraz needed time to settle and finished with 21 unforced errors, while Musetti more than held his own early, winning two service games to love before being broken in a tense final game of the first set that stretched to more than 11 minutes.
After that, it was business as usual for Alcaraz, who broke Musetti in successive service games to race ahead 5-1.
Even as the crowd loudly backed every Musetti point, the Italian had no answer once Alcaraz raised his level.
Alcaraz and Sinner could yet meet one final time this year, with the Italian already into the other semifinal as winner of the Bjorn Borg Group before his final round-robin match against Ben Shelton on Friday.
“This tournament is really important for me,” Alcaraz said, who will face either Alexander Zverev or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the last four.
“I’m excited about qualifying for the semifinals and hopefully getting to the final. We will see – part of the job is done, but I’m excited to keep going.”
Australia’s De Minaur produced a superb performance to bounce back from defeats in his opening two matches, beating last year’s runner-up Fritz 7-6 (3), 6-3 in a match where the American’s usually reliable serve let him down.
De Minaur lived up to his “Demon” nickname, showing energy and grit as he hustled the flat-looking Fritz around the court. After taking the first-set tiebreak, he pulled away following an early break in the second.
The defeat eliminated Fritz, but De Minaur’s semifinal hopes depended on an Alcaraz win later in the evening – a scenario even he wasn’t fully sure about.
“Is that actually true or not? I don’t know. I don’t trust you right now – I’m going to have to see what happens,” De Minaur said when told the permutations.
De Minaur advanced to a semifinal meeting with Sinner despite finishing round-robin play with one win, the same number as Musetti and Fritz.
