Carlos Alcaraz swept Alex de Minaur aside in straight sets in the opening match at the ATP Finals, triumphing 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 at the Inalpi Arena in Turin.

At the age of 22 years and 189 days, Alcaraz is the youngest top seed at the ATP Finals since Andy Roddick (21 years, 72 days) in 2003.

The Spaniard's hunt for a first ATP Finals crown began against a player he had never lost to in four previous meetings, and it looked as though a routine win was on the cards when he broke to love four games into the opening set.

But De Minaur recovered, edging a 21-shot rally for a crucial hold in game six, then breaking back following a fine forehand winner up the line.

Neither player could find a second break, necessitating a tie-break. De Minaur got within two points of victory at 5-3, but errors, including a double-fault, proved costly, and Alcaraz took the set with a big forehand winner.

The players traded breaks in the first two games of set two, but when Alcaraz showed some sublime shot-making to break again in game three, De Minaur's resistance was finally broken.

Alcaraz broke again at the next attempt, and a cross-court backhand winner eventually got him over the line on his second match point.

The victory takes Alcaraz top of the Jimmy Connors Group, which also contains Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti, who has replaced Novak Djokovic following his withdrawal.

First W on the board 

Top seed @carlosalcaraz extends his head-to-head record over De Minaur to 5-0!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/kJ7gG0FtQC

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 9, 2025

Data Debrief: Alcaraz in a league of his own

Alcaraz put his foot down to motor away from De Minaur after a tense first set, and he now has a 5-0 head-to-head record against the Australian, who he has beaten on all three surfaces.

The Spaniard has also claimed the most match wins both overall on the ATP Tour (68) and at ATP 1000 events (22) of any player this year.

Alcaraz's latest victory was also his 14th over top-10 opponents this year, pulling him level with Jannik Sinner for the most by any player on the ATP Tour.