Despite losing his first two matches in Turin, Alex de Minaur managed to book his place in the semifinals of the ATP Finals.
The Australian was beaten by both Carlos Alcaraz and Lorenzo Musetti in the round robin and needed to win against Taylor Fritz in straight sets to give himself any chance of advancing.
De Minaur defeated Fritz 7-6, 6-3, meaning he then just needed Alcaraz to overcome Musetti in the final match of the Jimmy Connors group.
Naturally, the Spaniard triumphed to win the group, seal year-end world number one status, and hand the ATP number seven a maiden appearance in the ATP Finals knockout stages.
After the result was confirmed, De Minaur took to social media to celebrate the feat and send a public message to Alcaraz.
Alex de Minaur celebrates reaching the ATP Finals knockout stages
In a post on Instagram, De Minaur said: “Let’s go! Thanks for the support and crazy atmosphere these days. Semis next!”
He then added: “PS: Gracias @carlitosalcarazz.”
De Minaur has only featured at the ATP Finals twice in his career, having made his first appearance at the event last season.
In 2024, he failed to win a match in Turin, losing to Fritz, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev in the group stage.
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Katie Boulter’s hilarious post during Carlos Alcaraz’s match with Lorenzo Musetti
During Alcaraz’s match with Musetti, a post was uploaded to X, formerly known as Twitter, suggesting that De Minaur was celebrating the world number one winning the first point in the match.
De Minaur’s fiancée, WTA star Katie Boulter, responded to the post: “I can confirm”.
In the semifinals, De Minaur will now face Sinner, whom he has never beaten at a tour-level event in his career.
Sinner leads the head-to-head 12-0, having won all three of their meetings in 2025, clinching victories at the Australian Open, the China Open, and the Vienna Open.
Now, the two will face off for a place in the championship match at the ATP Finals.
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