Carlos Alcaraz starts his ATP Finals campaign on Monday, 16 November, against Frances Tiafoe in the Ivan Lendl group, according to Yahoo Tennis. It is the first of his round-robin matches in Turin and his first serious chance to lift the year-end trophy, which has eluded him so far.
The draw sets up a quiet logic for the favourite. With Jannik Sinner missing the tournament after two consecutive titles, and Novak Djokovic also absent, the field has opened up. Alcaraz arrives on a run of nine straight wins, including his last two tournaments, Vienna and the Paris Masters. Yahoo Tennis counts him among the favourites alongside top seed Alexander Zverev, but the group matters as much as the reputation.
Tiafoe and Flavio Cobolli are both making their debut at the event. Alcaraz's group also includes Daniil Medvedev, and the schedule means Cobolli and Medvedev meet on the same day as Alcaraz's opener, so the group will start to take shape early. Topping the group is the practical target: a favourite who wins his opener places himself well for the semi-final picture, and that is what the schedule rewards.
For Alcaraz, the test is less about the opponent than about the form. He has been winning consistently, and the question is whether that momentum carries into a tournament built on best-of-three demands across a week. The first match against an unfamiliar opponent in a new format is where that comes into focus.
