New Delhi: Alex de Minaur’s hope of staying alive at the ATP Finals took a crushing blow on Tuesday after the Australian fell to Lorenzo Musetti in a tense three-set battle in Turin. The World No.7 looked on course to close out the match before suffering a late collapse, losing 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in front of an ecstatic Italian crowd.

It was a brutal outcome for the 26-year-old, who had the match on his racquet before nerves crept in at the worst possible moment. The defeat keeps Musetti’s campaign alive and leaves De Minaur needing a convincing win over Taylor Fritz in his final group match to have any chance of reaching the semis.

But for the Australian, the challenge runs deeper than mathematics or rankings. Speaking after the loss, De Minaur cut a dejected figure, adm

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