Italian world number two Jannik Sinner has beaten his great rival Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the ATP Finals event. The exciting nature of their rivalry hardly needed burnishing further, and nor did we need any teaser of what to expect in 2026 from these two modern-day legends, but we got it nonetheless.
The Italian beat American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 last year, with Alcaraz failing to make it out of the group after losses to Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud. This time around, neutrals got the final they all wanted, as the best two players in the world topped their respective groups, winning all three matches.
Alcaraz Leads Way in Jimmy Connors Group
The tournament followed its usual format, with the eight players divided into two groups (named after legends of the sport) and playing a round-robin format with the top two progressing to the semis. The world number one had to contend with last year’s beaten finalist, and Fritz was the only player to take a set off Alcaraz in the group phase. Aussie Alex de Minaur and Italian Lorenzo Musetti were dispatched in straight sets, but it was De Minaur who progressed alongside Alcaraz.
Sinner Flawless in Bjorn Borg
In the second group, the defending champion was even better, and he didn’t even lose a set. Matches against Zverev, Ben Shelton, and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, who nicked second place, were not easy, but Sinner won them all. He took 63% of the games played, marginally better than the 61% record of his great rival in the other group.
No Surprises in the Semis
There were no surprises in the semis, with the top two players in the world both claiming triumphs in straight sets. Alcaraz strolled past Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-4, with Sinner needing a bit more effort to see off De Minaur 7-5, 6-2. For so much of 2025 these two have demonstrated that they are a cut above the chasing pack and it was fitting that this season-ending event got a final that reflected the way the year has played out.
Sinner and Alcaraz have monopolised the number one spot in the world rankings since the former first reached the top in June 2024. Sinner has spent a little longer as number one overall, but it is Alcaraz who is currently there and who leads the way in terms of Grand Slams. 2025 saw the deadly duo win two majors each, while they contested the final of the last three Grand Slams of the year. Don’t bet against them both making it to the final of the Australian Open in 2026, although Alcaraz is yet to make the semis in Melbourne.
Sinner the Winner
Jannik Sinner beats Carlos Alcaraz to win ATP Finals for second straight year https://t.co/DhUEcON2Q5
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) November 17, 2025
Jack Draper, Auger-Aliassime, Musetti and other young stars will hope to challenge the top two in 2026, while Novak Djokovic will still feel he has one more Slam in him. But in truth we can only see more of the same in 2026, with Sinner and Alcaraz dominating. Following the ATP Finals, both have more than twice as many points as third-placed Zverev, which illustrates the work the rest have to do.
Despite his victory on home soil (the finals took place in Turin, Italy), Sinner still trails Alcaraz in the world rankings. However, he will be more concerned with titles and he claimed another here by seeing off his foe in a brilliantly contested, thrilling and very tight final.
Just as he did last year, Sinner won the tournament without dropping a set, getting the better of Alcaraz 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 in the decisive match. The last player to win back-to-back Finals without losing a single set was Ivan Lendl almost 40 years ago, so Sinner’s accomplishment should really be acknowledged.
The Italian still trails his rival 10-6 in the head-to-head but this success was his second win over Alcaraz in the six finals they contested in 2025. Between them they have now landed a massive 14 titles this year, and both spoke after this clash about their hopes and expectations for the “Sincaraz” rivalry in 2026. Though thankfully neither used that horrible portmanteau!
The champion, who earned just over $5m overall for this tournament win said, “I hope to see you again next year with great battles ahead of us”. Alcaraz commented similarly, saying it had been a “great year” for his rival, that it was “now time to rest”, before warning him, “I hope you are going to be ready for next year because I will be ready. Hopefully I will play more finals against you.”
With Alcaraz and Sinner just 22 and 24 years old, respectively, we hope and expect to see many more finals between the pair next year and, indeed, over the next decade. The message to the rest is clear – catch us if you can. Whether or not anyone else can force themself into the argument in the year or years ahead remains to be seen, but it is sure going to be fun watching men’s tennis for the foreseeable future.