Jannik Sinner retains Nitto ATP Finals title with straight-sets win over Year-End No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in Turin

Jannik Sinner retained the Nitto ATP Finals title with a hard-fought victory over Year-End No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in Turin.

The Italian delighted the home supporters as he thwarted the top seed’s bid to win the tournament for the first time courtesy of a 7-6(4) 7-5 success in two hours and 15 minutes.

It sees the second seed extend his winning streak indoors to 31 matches and reduces Alcaraz’s lead in the head-to-head to 10-6 moving towards 2026.

Speaking on court in the immediate aftermath of his triumph, Sinner said: "We are individual athletes obviously, but at the same time, without a team this is not possible and celebrating this trophy at the end of the year, after such an intense last couple of months, there is no better ending for me.

"It was a tough and very, very close match-up. You know, set point in the first set [to Alcaraz], but I’m extremely happy with how I handled the situation and it means the world to me."

He added: "It was tough, playing against Carlos, you have to play at your best.

"I was serving very well at times, but he is one of the best returners - if not the best returner in the game. Obviously Novak [Djokovic] is in there, but you know, I’m very happy.

"It was a very tough match but it means a lot to me ending the season like this. It’s amazing."

The first final at the Nitto ATP Finals to feature the world No. 1 and world No. 2 since 2016 was a slow-burner in comparison to some of the previous iterations of this spectacular match-up.

Indeed, neither player blinked on serve until Sinner was forced to save the first break point of the contest in the 11th game.

It proved pivotal as the Italian led the way in the ensuing tie-break before sealing it 7-4 with the aid of a sublime cross-court lob.

The reigning champion had not dropped serve all week but threw in two double faults and a wild forehand miss to allow Alcaraz to make the early breakthrough in the second set.

Sinner responded and broke back to level at 3-3 thanks to a fortuitous, shanked return and a devilish drop shot.

The Italian applied the squeeze on the scoreboard and broke as Alcaraz served to stay in it at 6-5 to clinch victory on a first match point and became the youngest man to defend the title since a 23-year-old Roger Federer in 2004.

Alcaraz unleashes another superb forehand winner as he looks to serve his way into a breaker.

A half volley off his shoelaces lands wide to add a bit of pressure and his choice of a dropper at 30-15 is a poor one as Sinner digs it out and does enough with the smash to stay in the hunt.

Alcaraz licks the back edge of the baseline mid-rally on a key point and unloads a belting forehand down the line.

Sinner turns the screw with a backhand return winner down the line to make deuce and earns match point with a low backhand that Carlitos can only volley into the net.

The Spaniard throws everything at Jannik in the ensuing rally but drags a backhand wide - and Sinner retains the title!

Sinner opens with a loose forehand long and then quashes the nervous murmurs in the crowd by coming out on top in a brutal forehand-to-forehand exchange.

The second seed stays on the front foot as he stoops low to bunt a backhand down the line off Alcaraz’s stun volley.

The Spaniard slices tamely into the net to give Sinner the edge and a superb crosscourt pass clinches the hold to 15 for the reigning champion.

Sinner looks to up the ante with Alcaraz serving to stay in it but blasts an opening return just long.

The top seed then looks to block out the cheers as he drills beyond the baseline and thunders away a nerveless forehand winner to regain the initiative.

A clutch serve gives him some breathing space and he squares the set once more with another howitzer of a plus-one forehand.

Alcaraz laments a missed volley and chatters to his team in frustration.

The Spaniard’s mood doesn’t improve as he jabs a return into the net before being overpowered by Jannik’s crisp forehand drive volley.

The second seed slams down a wide ace to finish and a love hold helps him apply the scoreboard squeeze.

It’s a case of some near misses for Jannik as a couple of backhands don’t find their mark, allowing Alcaraz to wallop away, surge through a love hold and level up.

Sinner slaps an ace down the T to move 30-15 up but sees two second serves given the treatment to allow Alcaraz to swoop forward and bat away a volley to earn another break point.

The Spaniard lines up a mid-court forehand but lashes it long to let Jannik off the hook.

The reigning champion can’t find his first serve but doubles down in a 24-shot rally to lure the error into the net.

Alcaraz roars back with a crosscourt forehand winner on the run, but Jannik finally finds a clutch serve to earn another game point.

The Turin crowd erupts and it gets even louder a moment later when the Carlitos arrows a backhand wide to allow his opponent to snare the scoreboard advantage.

The hamstring issue is making Alcaraz play aggressive, heavy-hitting tennis which is making him very dangerous, but also contains high risk.

A barrage of blockbusting forehands put him in control at 30-15 but he drags wide on a serve and volley tactic before booming another forehand long.

Sinner has break back point and after somehow landing a shanked return he takes charge and catches Alcaraz cold with a supreme crosscourt dropper.

All square!

Sinner glosses over a double fault as he stays in contention with a comfortable hold to 15.

For once, Alcaraz struggled to keep the ball on the island.

Alcaraz rifles a one-two forehand punch long but quickly makes amends with an ace down the T.

The Spaniard looks to be in a hurry as he shuts the door on a hold to 15 with another ace to maintain his charge.

Alcaraz turns away is disgust as soon as he attempts the dropper and it is rather ghastly from his point of view.

Sinner shows him how to do it with a surprise use of the tactic himself before a stray forehand from the Spaniard finishes off a hold to 15 that gets Jannik back on the board.

Sinner looks to bite straight back and zaps a crosscourt backhand to force the error for 0-15.

Alcaraz executes a clinical plus-one and unleashes two sensational forehand winners down the line.

The top seed then catches the outside edge with his serve and volley to consolidate the break with the game to 30.

Alcaraz returns to court with his hamstring now strapped and wins the opening point on the Sinner serve.

The Spaniard drills a return long but is gifted two break points as Jannik throws in back-to-back double faults.

The second seed can’t find the first serve and ends up blasting a forehand wide to give up an early break and drop serve for the first time in the tournament.

Sinner is in charge of the next point on his serve but inexplicably tries a dropper from mid-court and puts it wide.

Alcaraz can’t make it count as he plays a deft drop volley off a big forehand, allowing Jannik to track it down and reach into the sky to claw down a lob and regain that mini break for a 5-3 lead.

Alcaraz stays in touch with a clutch serve but is caught at the net by a wonderful crosscourt lob.

Sinner then lands a massive wide serve to take the breaker 7-4 and a one hour and 19-minute first set.

Sinner guns a super return to earn the chance for the big forehand but spews it into the net.

The Italian puts the miss to one side and sizzles a belting mid-court forehand winner down the line before nailing a massive second serve down the T.

Jannik has another huge opportunity to seize the first mini break but fluffs the re-drop into the net after a poor attempt from the Spaniard.

Alcaraz doesn’t take advantage of the reprieve as he skews a backhand wrong-footer just wide, allowing Sinner to take charge at the change of ends when the top seed flashes another miscue off that wing way off the island.

Alcaraz jabs a backhand long on a second serve return but turns the screw with a brilliant forehand winner down the line.

Sinner bites back with a crushing first serve but Carlitos rakes a looping forehand to the far corner to make Pulp (30-30).

The Italian rifles down an ace but Alcaraz deploys an audacious dropper that completely bamboozles the second seed and the pressure mounts.

It’s the Spaniard who comes out on top in a cat and mouse point at the net with a volley winner to earn set point but he can’t keep a brave second serve in play and Jannik survives.

The Italian has not been broken yet this week and he scorches away a venomous plus-one forehand on his way to maintaining that record before a bazooka first serve takes us into the breaker.

Alcaraz is like spiderman at the net as he volleys on the move and then block away another to rush a lob long.

It’s the pick of the points in a routine hold to 15 that guarantees him the minimum of a tie break.

Pressure? What pressure?

Sinner tests out the possible weakness on the other side of the net.

The Italian goes for the wide serve on the deuce court to test out the Spaniard’s hamstring and looks in complete control at 40-0.

A loose backhand and double fault change the complexion but he slaps down a timely ace to avoid any dram a level at five apiece.

Alcaraz disregards a backhand miscue into the net and flashes down a wide ace for 30-15.

Sinner responds with a scorching forehand winner down the line, but Carlitos earns game point with a wonderful wrong-footer off the same wing.

The top seed then applies the squeeze on the board as he clinches the hold to 15 with another spellbinding forehand down the line.

The Year-End World No.1 takes his seat for the change of ends and calls for the physio and a medical time-out as he has an issue with his right hamstring. It’s one to keep an eye on, although it's just a massage at present.

Who is going to blink first here?

Sinner takes care of business with the first serve, motoring through a run of points before closing-out a game to 15 with a miscued volley that is still too good for Alcaraz to retrieve.