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Alex de Minaur's aspirations of advancing to the ATP Finals last four are hanging by a thread after a gut-wrenching three-set loss to Lorenzo Musetti.

Crushing Defeat in Turin

The seventh-ranked player went down 7-5 3-6 7-5 after failing to serve out the match, allowing the Italian to stay alive in the event and now forcing the Australian requiring to decisively defeat Taylor Fritz in his last group match to reach the semi-finals.

Mental Demons Threaten Career

But facing Fritz in two days' time is the smallest of de Minaur's pressing worries as the Sydneysider concedes he must confront the psychological barriers that risk undermining his career.

A loser of all six of his major tournament quarter-final appearances, the twenty-six-year-old was unable to disguise his anguish after suffering yet another crucial opportunity slipping away with his tournament fate in his own hands.

"I don't know how many times I can deal with a loss like this one," de Minaur stated in Turin. "I must talk to my team and try to sort out these issues because these are issues that cannot continue occurring."

Career Crossroads

"Essentially, if I really want 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 getting to a point where psychologically it's killing me."

Characterizing his feelings as "quite dark", de Minaur lamented a series of final set collapses in 2025 and said he must find a way to win the close matches.

Recent Setbacks

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
• Closely-contested US Open quarter-final loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime
• Semi-final in Monte Carlo against Musetti
• Wasted 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. "When the outcome isn't positive, it's hard to keep persevering."

Urgent Resolution Needed

"It's something that if it isn't resolved, it's going to eat me alive. I must get it sorted sooner rather than later."

Upcoming Challenge

De Minaur and Fritz are 5-5 in previous encounters, though the sixth-ranked American won their meeting in this showpiece event last year.

The Aussie's chances remain flickering after Fritz suffered a 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 6-3 loss to Carlos Alcaraz that guaranteed the Spaniard would progress to the semi-finals as the victor of the Jimmy Connors group.

Championship Consequences

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

Even if he is defeated by Musetti in his final group match, Alcaraz will reclaim the world No 1 ranking except if Sinner, who defeated Auger-Aliassime in his first match on Monday, goes undefeated to retain his ATP Finals title.

"I'll attempt not to think about it," said Alcaraz. "This will represent a really big match for me. I will try not to let the anxiety play a bad time in the match. I will think about my goals, about feeling much better than today."