{'Mentally it's killing me': Alex de Minaur on verge of ATP Finals exit after third-set collapse

Alex de Minaur's hopes of reaching the ATP Finals semi-finals are hanging by a thread after a gut-wrenching defeat in three sets to Lorenzo Musetti.

Devastating Loss in Turin

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

Mental Demons Threaten Career

But facing Fritz in two days' time is the least of de Minaur's immediate concerns as the Sydney native concedes he must address the psychological barriers that threaten to cruel his career.

A loser of all six of his major tournament quarter-final appearances, the twenty-six-year-old was unable to disguise his distress after experiencing yet another high-stakes near miss with his tournament fate in his own hands.

"I don't know how many times I can handle a loss like this one," de Minaur said in Turin. "I just have to talk to my team and try to resolve these issues because these are issues that can't keep happening."

Career Crossroads

"Essentially, if I truly desire to be genuine about advancing to the next level in my career, these contests, I must win them. I just must not. It seems as if I've lost a lot of them this year. Most importantly, it's reaching a point where psychologically it's killing me."

Describing his feelings as "very bleak", de Minaur lamented a series of third-set slip-ups in 2025 and said he must find a way to win the tight encounters.

Recent Disappointments

The top-ranked Australian's streak of devastating defeats comprise:

• Latest 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-5) result 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
• Defeated in a third-set tiebreaker to Andrey Rublev in the Doha semi-finals

"I keep putting everything into these matches," de Minaur commented. "Whenever the outcome isn't positive, it's hard to keep persevering."

Immediate Solution Needed

"It's something that if it doesn't get sorted, it's going to consume me completely. I must get it sorted quickly rather than delayed."

Forthcoming Test

De Minaur and Fritz are tied at five wins each in past meetings, though the American world No 6 won their matchup in this prestigious tournament 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 advance to the semi-finals as the victor of the Jimmy Connors group.

Tournament Implications

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

Regardless if he loses to Musetti in his last round-robin contest, Alcaraz will regain the world No 1 ranking unless Sinner, who beat Auger-Aliassime in his opener on Monday, goes undefeated to defend his ATP Finals title.

"I'll attempt not to focus on it," commented Alcaraz. "This will represent a extremely important match for me. I will try not to let the nerves play a bad time in the match. I will concentrate on my objectives, about performing much better than today."