As the dust settles on the WTA Finals in Riyadh, the tennis world is getting ready for yet another series of swashbuckling matches. With the curtains raising in Turin, the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will be fighting it out with the other top stars in a bid to finish at the year-end tennis summit. In a blockbuster opening, it was Alcaraz who went up against Australia’s Alex De Minaur. Now, despite the Spaniard coming in as the favorite to win the tournament, could de Minaur prove a thorn in his side?

As it turned out, the answer is no. Alcaraz came in with a healthy 4-0 head-t0-head over de Minaur, which has now been stretched to a dominant 5-0. But the scorecard seldom speaks the truth. As Alcaraz really had a hard time answering De Minaur’s vicious returns. Owing to such a gritty approach from the Aussie star, the first set went to a tiebreaker. It was only in the second set that the World No. 2 found his rhythm and won the match 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. 

Soon after the game was over, Alcaraz was asked about his recent performance. The Spaniard looked elated and also had a subtle warning for his arch-rival, Jannik Sinner. “As you said and as everybody knows, I’m fighting for not only the trophy but for the #1 as well so I’m just really happy with the way that I played today. I was focused on all my goals against someone like Alex, he’s really difficult to play against. I’m happy to get my first win and excited for what’s next.”

This is a developing story…