Carlos Alcaraz faces booing from Italian fans as he sets up ATP Finals final clash against Jannik Sinner

World number one Carlos Alcaraz eased past Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-4 in Saturday’s ATP Finals semi-final in Turin to set up a mouth-watering final against defending champion Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz broke Auger-Aliassime twice in the opening set and dominated key moments in the second to reach the summit clash.

“I felt like I could do everything on court. It didn’t matter if I did forehand down the line, drop shot or backhand down the line, I felt that everything was going to be in,” Alcaraz said after his win in the semi-final.

Italian fans boo Alcaraz

The Italian crowd, however, showed their loyalty to local hero Sinner by booing loudly whenever Alcaraz’s image appeared on the big screen inside the arena. Despite this hostile reception, Alcaraz remained focused and kept his cool throughout the match to win in straight sets.

Sinner, meanwhile, defeated Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-2 in the other semi-final. The Italian held his nerve in a tight first set before dominating the second. Sinner broke de Minaur in the 11th game to take the first set and then raced through the second to seal victory.

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“It was a very tough match, especially at the beginning of the first set. Felt like (De Minaur) was serving great. In the second set… my level raised and I tried to be a bit more aggressive, which worked very well. Tomorrow I will enjoy, I will try my best to have the best possible result but in any case, it has been an amazing week,” Sinner said.

The final on Sunday will see Sinner and Alcaraz face off for the sixth time this year in a title decider. Alcaraz is aiming for his first ATP Finals crown, while Sinner will play in his third consecutive final in Turin.

The Italian fans are expected to cheer loudly for Sinner and boo Alcaraz in the final. The Spaniard acknowledged the challenge, saying, “Facing Jannik with his home crowd on an indoor court is one of the most difficult challenges in our sport right now. I hope I have three or four people in the crowd cheering for me, I have my friends.”