Carlos Alcaraz Finally Breaks Opening-Round Jinx At ATP Finals

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz made a strong start to his ATP Finals campaign, defeating Alex de Minaur 7-6(5), 6-2 for his first opening-round win at the season-ending championships.

Alcaraz, the top seed in Turin, lost to Alexander Zverev during his ATP Finals debut in 2023 and fell to Casper Ruud in the opening round last year.

But on Sunday, he finally found the perfect start he had been hoping for, as he defeated Australian De Minaur in straight sets.

“Opening the tournament with a win is always nice, it’s always good. It can really give you a significant confidence boost for the next matches,” Alcaraz said.

“Ultimately, if you win a match here it’s because you’ve played really well, because your level is very high.”

“And that, in terms of sending a message to the other players and even to yourself, is very positive. I’ve been playing here for three years and it’s the first time I’ve won the first match, so I’m pleased with that.

“I’ll try to keep improving on the small things I didn’t do well today. I’m feeling really motivated for the next matches.”

The Spaniard, who has reached the ATP Finals semi-finals twice, is in the Jimmy Connors group alongside Taylor Fritz, De Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti, who came in as a replacement for Novak Djokovic after the Serb pulled out with injury.

World No. 2 Jannik Sinner headlines the Bjorn Borg group, which also features Zverev, Ben Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Alcaraz is due to face World No. 6 Fritz in Tuesday’s match at the ATP Finals, which pits together the men’s top 8 players, has a record prize pool of $15.5 million and offers 1,500 points. The tournament finale is set for November 16.