Inside the packed Inalpi Arena, De Minaur silenced the 13,000 Italian fans for a moment when he took a 0-40 lead in Sinner's first service game. But when he failed to convert the chances, Sinner regained composure and held his service games. From that point, the world number two patiently waited for opportunities.

De Minaur battled hard, covering every corner of the court and saving seven break points to stay in contention. However, at 5-5, Sinner finally broke through his opponent's defense with a precise down-the-line backhand to break serve. The Italian won 59% of points on De Minaur's second serve in the 7-5 set.

Sinner solidified his position at the start of the second set by breaking his opponent's serve two times. The home player, with 32 winners and a 75% first-serve percentage, maintained a steady pace to win in 1h 52 minutes.

Sinner hitting a backhand during his match against Zverev at the Inalpi Arena, Turin, Italy on 12/11. Photo: Reuters

Sinner, along with Djokovic in 2018, is one of the only male players to reach the ATP Finals final without dropping a service game since the ATP Tour began recording serve statistics in 1991. The Italian has successfully held all 40 service games this week.

Sinner did not drop a service game in the group stage or the semifinals. He becomes the youngest player since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004 to reach three consecutive finals at the year-end event.

"This is the last tournament of the year, and it's great to finish the season this way", Sinner said after the match. "The match was very tough, especially at the beginning of the first set. In the second set, I tried to play more aggressively, and it paid off. Reaching the final three years in a row means a lot. This is an amazing atmosphere for me to play tennis and conclude this beautiful season."

Sinner has won 30 consecutive indoor matches; his last loss was against Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals two years ago. Since then, he has claimed indoor titles in Rotterdam, Turin, Vienna, and Paris, and helped the Italian team win the Davis Cup two times.

Sinner currently leads De Minaur 13-0 in head-to-head encounters, having defeated the 26-year-old en route to titles at the Australian Open, Beijing, and Vienna this season. The second seed will aim to add another title when he faces Carlos Alcaraz or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final today, 16/11.

For De Minaur, this defeat does not diminish a breakthrough year. The Australian concludes his season with a 56-24 record, surpassing 50 wins in a single season for the first time. De Minaur's only title in 2025 was at the ATP 500 event in Washington.

Vy Anh