TURIN, Italy (AP) — Jannik Sinner got his title defense at the ATP Finals off to a solid start before his home fans with a 7-5, 6-1 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday.

To also claim the year-end No. 1 ranking . Sinner needs to win the season-ending event for the top eight players and hope Carlos Alcaraz doesn’t reach the final.

No. 8-ranked Auger-Aliassime appeared slowed by a left calf issue that arose near the end of the first set. He was twice treated by a trainer during the second set.

“It was very tough until 6-5 and then he had a physical issue,” said Sinner, referring to when he broke the Canadian’s serve to close out the first set.

Sinner won the title in Turin last year without dropping a set and hasn’t lost at the event since the 2023 final to Novak Djokovic.

There

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