A clinical start, a calf-stricken rival, and a Turin crowd that roared

I’ve seen Jannik Sinner play many matches this season, but there’s something different about him under the Turin lights. There’s electricity in the way he carries himself on home soil. A kind of quiet, focused defiance that doesn’t just soak up pressure, it thrives on it. Tonight was no different.

In front of a partisan crowd that clearly knew they were watching not just Italy’s best, but arguably the man of the moment in men’s tennis, Sinner rolled past an injured Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-5, 6-1 in just over 100 minutes.

It was the kind of performance that might read routine on paper, but it was anything but at the start.

The first set had bite. It had tension. Auger-Aliassime, playing his first ATP Finals since 2022, came out swinging. He was bold, aggressive, and matched Sinner shot-for-shot through the early games.

The Canadian was brave, ripping forehands and attacking second serves like a man with nothing to lose. And for a while, it worked. At 5-5, we were staring down the barrel of a set that could’ve flipped either way.

But then came the turn. At 6-5, while serving at 30-0, Felix pulled up ever so slightly. A grimace. A brief gesture to his left leg. And just like that, the spell broke. What followed was a painful unraveling.

Sinner broke. Felix took a medical timeout. The second set wasn’t a contest. It was survival.

And while the Canadian tried to gut it out, calling the physio twice more and attempting to play through a left calf issue, it was clear his movement was compromised. He couldn’t push off the way he wanted.

He started missing badly. Not from poor form, but from sheer necessity. You could see him trying to hit his way out of the jam, but the legs weren’t backing the arms anymore.

Now, here’s the thing about Sinner. He doesn’t let up. He doesn’t give you cheap games. He doesn’t relax just because you’re wounded. He keeps the screws tight.

And that’s exactly what he did, hammering home 32 of 36 first-serve points won, facing zero break points, and keeping the tempo relentlessly high. One ace, a roar from the crowd, a clenched fist. That’s how it ended.

That makes it 27 straight indoor wins for Sinner. No dropped sets at the Finals since that 2023 final against Djokovic. And still, no losses to a top-10 player not named Alcaraz since August. Which, by the way, was the tournament where he played two matches in one day. This man is dialed in.

But there’s a subplot, of course. A bigger story hanging in the air above the Inalpi Arena like fog over the Alps. It’s the coveted year-end World No. 1 spot.

Sinner entered this tournament trailing Carlos Alcaraz by 1,050 points. With Alcaraz having already notched a win over Alex de Minaur, the margin is tight, the stakes enormous.

To finish the year on top, Sinner needs to defend his title and pray Alcaraz stumbles. At least once in group play and again by not reaching the final.

Tall order? Sure. Impossible? Not with the way Jannik’s playing right now.

After the match, Sinner was gracious. “I hope it’s nothing too serious,” he said of Auger-Aliassime’s injury. “Obviously winning the first match is very important in this competition and this format. I’m very happy.”

What struck me, though, was his honesty when asked about facing a physically struggling opponent.

“You still have to be very consistent… especially mentally. It is a bit different, but at the same time it is an advantage. You have to use it in the right way, even if you don’t want it to be like this.” That’s a pro talking — not gloating, not sugarcoating. Just telling it straight.