TURIN, Italy (Reuters) -Defending champion Jannik Sinner stormed to a 7-5 6-2 victory over Alex de Minaur in the last four of the ATP Finals on Saturday, as the Australian suffered his 13th straight loss to the four-time Grand Slam winner despite a fighting start.
World number two Sinner had to dig deep to get his first break of the match, which tipped the first set in his favour. The Italian took the first four games of the second set to ensure victory, backed by a supportive crowd at Turin’s Palasport Olimpico.
“It was a very tough match, especially at the beginning of the first set. Felt like (De Minaur) was serving great,” said Sinner, who has now reached the final of the season-ending championship for the third time in a row.
“In the second set… my level raised and I tried to be a bit more aggressive, which worked very well.”
Seventh seed De Minaur fended off two break points to hold the opening game of the match and was on the verge of a break after going 40-0 up in the second, but Sinner held his nerve to hold.
Neither player could get a break as the match stayed even until the 11th game, when Sinner’s perfectly angled backhand evaded a stumbling De Minaur to put the Italian 6-5 ahead. Sinner held the next game with ease to clinch the first set.
Sinner dominated the second set, bringing up match point with a strong backhand volley before sealing victory with a powerful forehand that was well outside De Minaur’s reach.
“Tomorrow I will enjoy, I will try my best to have the best possible result but in any case, it has been an amazing week,” added Sinner, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament.
Top seed Carlos Alcaraz faces Canadian eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second semi-final later on Saturday, with the final on Sunday.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)
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