🔗 Share this article

Alex de Minaur's aspirations of reaching the ATP Finals semi-finals are dangling by a slender margin after a heartbreaking three-set loss to Italian opponent Lorenzo Musetti.

Devastating Loss in Turin

The seventh-ranked player went down 7-5 3-6 7-5 after being unable to close out the match, keeping the Italian to stay alive in the event and now forcing the Australian requiring to convincingly beat Taylor Fritz in his last group match to qualify for the semi-finals.

Psychological Challenges Threaten Career

But facing Fritz in 48 hours is the smallest of de Minaur's immediate concerns as the Sydney native concedes he must confront the mental demons that risk undermining his career.

A unsuccessful competitor of all six of his major tournament quarter-final appearances, the twenty-six-year-old was unable to disguise his distress after suffering yet another crucial opportunity slipping away with his tournament fate in his own hands.

"I'm uncertain how many times I can handle a loss like this one," de Minaur stated in Turin. "I just have to talk to my team and try to resolve these problems because these are issues that cannot continue occurring."

Career Crossroads

"Essentially, if I truly desire to be genuine about taking the next step in my career, these matches, I can't lose them. I just must not. It feels like I've been defeated in a lot of them this year. Most importantly, it's getting to a point where mentally it's destroying me."

Characterizing his feelings as "quite dark", de Minaur bemoaned a series of third-set slip-ups in 2025 and said he must find a way to win the tight encounters.

Recent Setbacks

The top-ranked Australian's run of crushing losses include:

• Recent 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-5) outcome against Alexander Bublik at the Paris Masters
• Tightly-fought US Open quarter-final defeat to Felix Auger-Aliassime
• Final four in Monte Carlo against Musetti
• Squandered two-set lead against Bublik at the French Open
• Lost in a third-set tiebreaker to Andrey Rublev in the Doha semi-finals

"I continue investing everything into these matches," de Minaur commented. "Whenever the result's not there, it's hard to keep persevering."

Urgent Resolution Needed

"This is an issue that if it doesn't get sorted, it's going to consume me completely. I need to get it sorted sooner rather than later."

Upcoming Challenge

De Minaur and Fritz are 5-5 in previous encounters, though the American world No 6 emerged victorious in their matchup in this showpiece event last year.

The Aussie's hopes remain alive after Fritz suffered a 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 6-3 loss to Carlos Alcaraz that ensured the Spaniard would progress to the semi-finals as the victor of the Jimmy Connors group.

Championship Consequences

The world No 2's victory, having already defeated de Minaur, put Alcaraz within one win of securing the year-end top ranking from Jannik Sinner.

Regardless if he is defeated by Musetti in his last round-robin contest, Alcaraz will reclaim the world No 1 ranking except if Sinner, who beat Auger-Aliassime in his opener on Monday, goes unbeaten to defend his ATP Finals title.

"I will try not to focus on it," commented Alcaraz. "It's going to be a really big match for me. I will try not to let the anxiety play a bad time in the match. I will concentrate on my objectives, about feeling much better than today."