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

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

Devastating Loss in Turin

The world No 7 went down 7-5 3-6 7-5 after being unable to close out the match, allowing the Italian to remain in the tournament and now leaving the Australian needing to convincingly beat Taylor Fritz in his third and final group match to qualify for the semi-finals.

Mental Demons Threaten Career

But facing Fritz in 48 hours is the smallest of de Minaur's pressing worries as the Sydneysider admits he must confront the psychological barriers that risk undermining his career.

A loser of all six of his major tournament quarter-final appearances, the 26-year-old was unable to disguise his distress after experiencing yet another high-stakes near miss with his finals destiny in his own hands.

"I don't know how many times I can deal with 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 cannot continue occurring."

Career Crossroads

"I mean, if I truly desire to be serious about taking the next step in my career, these matches, I can't lose them. I just must not. It seems as if I've been defeated in a lot of them this year. More than anything, it's reaching a point where psychologically it's killing me."

Characterizing his feelings as "very bleak", de Minaur bemoaned a series of third-set slip-ups in 2025 and said he must find a way to win the close matches.

Recent Disappointments

The Australia No 1's run of devastating defeats include:

• Recent 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-5) result against Alexander Bublik at the Paris Masters
• Tightly-fought US Open quarter-final loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime
• Semi-final 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 continue investing everything into these matches," de Minaur commented. "Whenever the result's not there, it's hard to keep pushing through."

Urgent Resolution Needed

"It's something that if it isn't resolved, 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 emerged victorious in their meeting in this prestigious tournament last year.

The Aussie's hopes remain flickering after Fritz experienced a 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 6-3 defeat to Carlos Alcaraz that ensured the Spaniard would progress to the semi-finals as the winner of the Jimmy Connors group.

Tournament Implications

The second-ranked player's win, having already defeated de Minaur, put Alcaraz a single victory away of claiming the season-ending top ranking from Jannik Sinner.

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

"I'll attempt not to focus on it," said Alcaraz. "It's going to be a really big match for me. I will try not to let the nerves play a bad time in the match. I will concentrate on my goals, about feeling much better than today."