Carlos Alcaraz has once again proven his mettle on the tennis court by securing the year-end No. 1 ranking for the second time in his career. The Spaniard accomplished this impressive feat with a commanding victory over Lorenzo Musetti, triumphing 6-4, 6-1 during the round-robin stage of the Nitto ATP Finals. The match, which took place on Thursday evening, lasted just one hour and 23 minutes, allowing Alcaraz to finish Group Jimmy Connors with a perfect 3-0 record.
Heading into this prestigious event in Turin, Alcaraz needed to clinch three wins to ensure his top ranking position, regardless of the outcome of his closest competitor, Jannik Sinner. To have any chance at the title, Sinner would have needed to emerge as the undefeated champion—a repeat of his performance from the previous year—while also hoping Alcaraz would not exceed two wins. However, Alcaraz quickly eliminated any suspense regarding the rankings with his outstanding performance.
Throughout the group stage, the 22-year-old showcased remarkable tennis, dropping only one set across his three matches. Prior to defeating Musetti, Alcaraz had already beaten Alex de Minaur in straight sets and fought through a tight three-set battle with Taylor Fritz.
Reflecting on his achievements, Alcaraz stated, “The year-end No. 1 is always a goal. At the beginning of the year, I saw the No. 1 really, really far away with Jannik winning almost every tournament he plays. But from the middle of the season until now, I gave myself the goal for the No. 1 because I thought it was there. I had the chance to play great tennis in many tournaments in a row to position myself closely to Jannik for the No. 1.”
He continued, “In the last three or four tournaments of the year, I was fighting toe to toe with Jannik for this spot, and finally, I got it. For me, it means everything.”
With his success, Alcaraz has advanced to the semifinals, where he will face either Alexander Zverev or Felix Auger-Aliassime. Sinner, who has secured the lead in Group Bjorn Borg, will compete against De Minaur in the upcoming matches. Notably, De Minaur managed to keep his hopes alive by defeating Fritz 7-6(3), 6-3 in his match on Thursday, requiring a straight-sets win to progress in the tournament.
