Carlos Alcaraz has secured the year-end world number one ranking after defeating Lorenzo Musetti 6–4, 6–1 at the ATP Finals on Thursday.
His victory not only guaranteed him the top spot in the updated rankings coming out on Monday but also confirmed his place as the leader of the Jimmy Connors Group at the season finale. Alcaraz has collected two Grand Slam titles this year and now holds an insurmountable lead over Jannik Sinner.
With seventy match wins this season, the Spaniard cannot be overtaken even if he loses his semi-final on Saturday, and even if Sinner goes on to defend his ATP Finals crown in Italy. Despite that safety net, Alcaraz is showing no signs of slowing down as he aims for his first ATP Finals trophy. Many fans are anticipating another blockbuster clash between Alcaraz and Sinner in the final, since Sinner topped the Bjorn Borg Group on Wednesday.
Alcaraz has dominated their rivalry in 2025, winning four of five meetings, all of which took place in major finals, including two Grand Slams. The French Open final in June, considered one of the greatest matches ever played, went Alcaraz’s way, while their rematch at Wimbledon ended with Sinner lifting the trophy.
Against Musetti, Alcaraz looked confident and composed throughout. Musetti has already been knocked out of the competition and must now decide if he will compete in the Davis Cup Final Eight in Bologna next week. Although the Italian enjoyed strong support from the home crowd, he could not trouble the world number one. He only made it into the ATP Finals draw because Novak Djokovic withdrew shortly before the tournament began.
Joining Alcaraz in the semi-finals is Alex de Minaur, who earlier in the day defeated Taylor Fritz 7–6, 6–3. De Minaur needed a straight-sets win to keep his hopes alive, and he delivered. He will now take on Sinner for a place in the final.
This latest victory marked De Minaur’s forty-third win on hard courts this season, the highest tally on the tour. Once he edged out Fritz in the opening set tie-break, the rest of the match moved firmly in his favour. Fritz’s loss, sealed in just over ninety minutes, ended the American’s run in this year’s edition of the ATP Finals.
