Jannik Sinner maintains status as king of Torino with back-to-back titles; Alcaraz confirms Davis Cup showing

(Getty/Clive Brunskill)

In a final that came down to the smallest of margins, Italian star Jannik Sinner stood tallest to successfully defend his Nitto ATP Finals trophy in Torino without dropping a set.

Having shared the calendar Grand Slams and being head and shoulders above the rest of the chasing pack, it was only fitting that Sinner and world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz fought for the final ATP event of the season.

Before the match against his 'kryptonite' Alcaraz, world No.2 Sinner trailed the head-to-head 5-10, with his latest loss against the Spaniard coming at the US Open final.

In the fourth game of the first set, a medical emergency in the stands of Inalpi Arena halted play for 15 minutes, which was a minor distraction for both players.

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After every passing service hold, the grand finale seemed destined for an opening set tiebreak. Although it eventuated, Sinner was forced to save a set point on his serve at 5-6, in what would be one of two key turning points.

On a high just moments after taking a nail-biting first set, it was Alcaraz who broke in the very first game of the following set to stamp his authority.

However, as Sinner continued to mount pressure on his opponent, the break back eventually arrived, and with that, another break to close out the contest and win his second straight ATP Finals title (7-6(4), 7-5).

"We both started off missing because we know each other, what we have to do. When you play a final against a very, very tough opponent, you tend to miss a bit more. It's normal. But we both had our tactics clear in our mind, I felt like," Sinner told the press with the trophy standing next to him.

"The second set, maybe the level was a bit higher because of a bit more rallies, a bit more difficult to get through Carlos.

"But the key moments, they're always there, you know? 30-all at times, if you don't serve well... Other moments are also 2-1 in the first set. If he breaks there, the match could lead very fast the other way. It's also a part of perspective [on] how you see the match.

"I felt like small, small details made the difference. I was lucky when I broke him back with the shanked return. I also have to say that."

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There was a slight scare for Alcaraz at 5-4 in the first set, when the six-time Grand Slam winner called for a medical timeout due to a hamstring complaint.

But the 22-year-old quickly quashed rumours of pulling out of next week's Davis Cup Finals.

"The Davis Cup? Yeah, I'm heading off to Bologna tomorrow," he confirmed.

Sinner revealed last month that he will skip the Davis Cup Finals in favour of prioritising his body for the 2026 season.

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