The opening round of group-stage matches at the Nitto ATP Finals has concluded. Kazakhstani player Alexander Bublik is present at the tournament in Turin as the first alternate.
Bublik, currently world No. 11, will join the competition if any of the players withdraw from the tournament. The likelihood of this happening is not negligible, given the injuries and fatigue that often accumulate by the end of the season. For example, during the same women’s tournament — won by Kazakhstani Elena Rybakina — Russian player Ekaterina Alexandrova replaced Madison Keys from the U.S.
As a matter of fact, Bublik and the second alternate, Norwegian Casper Ruud, will each receive $155,000 for being prepared to play, even if they do not get a chance to compete.
Jimmy Connors Group
Carlos Alcaraz (Spain, 1) vs. Alex de Minaur (Australia, 7): 7-6(7-5), 6-2
Taylor Fritz (U.S., 6) vs. Lorenzo Musetti (Italy, 9): 6-3, 6-4
Meanwhile, all first round-robin matches have been completed in Turin, with no surprises. The victories were secured by the higher-ranked players, each in the minimum number of sets possible. However, two tiebreaks kept neutral spectators entertained and prevented the predictability from becoming dull.
Bjorn Borg Group
Alexander Zverev (Germany, 3) vs. Ben Shelton (U.S., 5): 6-3, 7-6(7-6)
Jannik Sinner (Italy, 2) vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada, 8): 7-5, 6-1
In doubles, the competition has been a bit more unpredictable, with the higher seeds winning only half of the matches.
Peter Fleming Group
Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori (Italy, 7) vs. Julian Cash/Lloyd Glasspool (U.K., 1): 7-5, 6-3
Marcel Granollers (Spain)/Horacio Zeballos (Argentina, 3) vs. Kevin Krawietz/Tim Pütz (Germany, 6): 6-4, 4-6, 10-6
In the second match of the Fleming Group (featuring a seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion), the game was decided in a super tiebreak.
John McEnroe Group
Harri Heliovaara (Finland)/Henry Patten (U.K., 2) vs. Christian Harrison/Evan King (U.S., 8): 6-4, 6-4
Joe Salisbury/Neal Skupski (U.K., 5) vs. Marcelo Arévalo (El Salvador)/Mate Pavić (Croatia, 4): 6-3, 7-5
Notably, Heliovaara is of special interest to Kazakh fans because he won the US Open mixed doubles title with Anna Danilina in 2023.
The winners in doubles can earn $959,000 if they remain undefeated.
This is the 56th edition of the ATP Finals and marks the fifth time it has been held in Turin, Italy. The current champion, Jannik Sinner, defeated Taylor Fritz (6-4, 6-4) in last year’s final, also hosted in Turin.
The total prize money for the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals is a record-breaking $15.5 million. The participation fee for singles is $331,000; each victory in the group stage brings $396,000; a semifinal win earns $1.18 million; and winning the final brings $2.3 million. Thus, an undefeated champion will earn $5.07 million.
Notably, victory in the comparable women’s tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, brought Rybakina even more — $5.23 million. The total prize money in the WTA Finals was higher.
