Last year’s runner-up Taylor Fritz began his 2025 ATP Finals campaign in style, defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4 in a commanding performance on Monday in Turin.

Musetti, a late entrant following the withdrawal of seven-time champion Novak Djokovic, made a bright start in front of a passionate home crowd at the Inalpi Arena. However, the Italian soon faded as Fritz found his rhythm behind a powerful serve.

The match’s momentum shifted in the third game of the first set. Fritz saved four break points—firing down two aces in the process—before breaking Musetti to take a 3-1 lead. From that point on, the American controlled the rallies, while Musetti struggled to maintain his early intensity.

Coming off an exhausting three-hour final loss to Djokovic in Athens on Saturday, Musetti battled hard in the second set, saving four break points in the opening game. But two costly double faults in his next service game handed Fritz the crucial break.

Fritz’s serve proved the difference throughout. He hit nine aces in the second set alone, holding to love three times. Though Musetti briefly thrilled the crowd by going 30-0 up as the American served for the match, Fritz responded emphatically with back-to-back aces to seal a straight-sets win.

Elsewhere in the Jimmy Connors Group, top seed Carlos Alcaraz opened his campaign with a 7-6(5), 6-2 victory over Alex de Minaur on Sunday. Each of the four players in the group will face one another in the round-robin stage, with the top two advancing to the semi-finals.

Italian fans will return to the Inalpi Arena later on Monday, when defending champion Jannik Sinner begins his title defence against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Bjorn Borg Group.