Eventually, Alex de Minaur was going to run out of time against Jannik Sinner in their semifinal match of the 2025 ATP Finals. The Australian was playing well enough, showing off the best and worst of his game, but the Italian is among the two best players on the ATP tour for a reason. It showed.
The first set went a lot like this after Sinner's first service game: very long service games where de Minaur barely managed to hold, followed by a quick hold by the Italian. That is not a strategy for success against a player as skilled as Jannik Sinner.
At 5-all, Sinner finally got the break he needed to set up winning the first set, and then he consolidated that with a quick hold. The Italian then got another break at the beginning of the second set, and then another to jump out to a 3-0 lead, and any drama related to the match was done.
Jannik Sinner defeats Alex de Minaur in the semifinals of the 2025 ATP Finals
Sinner took the match 7-5 6-2 and did so by matching de Minaur's elite speed, but with many punishing cross-court winners. This is something de Minaur is not capable of. He can chase down almost any ball, but he cannot hit with the pace and placement of Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz. He also lacks a great serve.
De Minaur wasn't beating himself, though he needed to land more of his first serves, managing just a bit above 50 percent for much of the match. He only had one double-fault, and he matched Sinner's number of aces for most of the match. The stunning part was that de Mianur's speed remained throughout, but Sinner elevated his own play. After 5-all in the first set, he won six straight games.
The Australian certainly shouldn't feel bad about the loss. He competes as hard as anyone in tennis. He simply isn't as talented against the top two players on the tour, but no one else is either at this point. Sinner and de Mianur have played 12 times, and the Australian has never won except for a walkover in 2023.
Jannik Sinner will next likely play Carlos Alcaraz in the final. The Spaniard still has to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime in the other semifinal, but that is expected. In fact, a Sinner and Alcaraz final is always expected in the final of any tournament they both enter together. Neither has lost in the 2025 ATP Finals. Whoever wins the final will take home a bit over $5 million.
Carlos Alcaraz has already cemented his status as year-1, though. Jannik Sinner has lost seven of his last eight matches to the Spaniard. The Italian might be motivated to win in the presumed final simply to prove to himself he can still beat Alcaraz.