As the world's No. 2 player, Carlos Alcaraz has won a mountain of championships and achieved myriad personal benchmarks.

On Sunday in Turin, Italy, he took a step toward another one by downing Alex de Minaur to kick off a potential run at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The prestigious end-of-season finale had been unkind to Alcaraz in previous years, losing to Casper Ruud in 2024, a year after getting upended by Alexander Zverev.

But at Inalpi Arena Sunday, Alcaraz overcame a shaky first set to take down Australia's de Minaur 7-6 (5), 6-2, much to the Spaniard's relief.

"This tournament is one of the best tournaments we have on Tour, without a doubt," Alcaraz said. "We're playing against the best players in the world, which shows how difficult and important it is.

"I've been struggling in the

See Full Page