Alex de Minaur has been left beaten but unbowed, still able to raise a smile after his breakthrough week at the ATP Finals in Turin ended in familiar brutal fashion at the hands of his exceptional nemesis Jannik Sinner.
'Demon' fought admirably to halt his run against the ruthless world No.2 in Saturday's semi-final, yet there was still a sinking sense of inevitability that the title holder would make it an unlucky-13 wins in a row over the great Aussie trier at the Inalpi Arena with another ruthless 7-5 6-2 demolition job.
Cheered on by 13,000 adoring home fans, Sinner had to overcome the most doughty first-set resistance from the Aussie until forging away in breathtaking fashion to set up a final against world No.1 Carlos Alcaraz.
