Carlos Alcaraz triumphs over Alex de Minaur in ATP Finals opener

TURIN, Italy (AP) – Carlos Alcaraz got his bid to win a first ATP Finals crown – and claim the year-end No. 1 ranking – off to a positive start on Sunday with a straight-set victory over Alex de Minaur.

Alcaraz recovered from a topsy-turvy opening set to triumph 7-6 (5), 6-2 over the seventh-seeded De Minaur in the opening match of the season-ending event for the top eight men’s players.

American Ben Shelton makes his ATP Finals debut later Sunday against two-time champion Alexander Zverev.

Top-seeded Alcaraz is involved in a tussle with defending champion Jannik Sinner to end the year as No. 1 and the Spaniard can secure that – regardless of what his rival does – if he reaches the final.

Alcaraz seemed in firm control of the opening set. He had already broken De Minaur to love and threatened to do the same in the sixth game to go 5-1 up, but the Australian fought back to deuce before staving off another break point and then taking the game.

De Minaur then broke back and took the set to a tiebreaker where he had a 5-3 advantage before Alcaraz rallied.

The 22-year-old Alcaraz dominated the second set, dropping his serve early but winning all the other games and sealing the victory with a cross-court backhand on his second match point.

Taylor Fritz is also in the Jimmy Connors group with Alcaraz, De Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti, who replaced the injured Novak Djokovic.

The Bjorn Borg group has Sinner, Zverev, Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

The top two finishers in each group advance to the semifinals.