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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.

Devastating Loss 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 remain in the tournament and now forcing the Australian needing to decisively defeat Taylor Fritz in his last group match to reach the semi-finals.

Psychological Challenges Threaten Career

But confronting Fritz in 48 hours is the least of de Minaur's immediate concerns as the Sydney native concedes he must confront the psychological barriers that risk undermining his career.

A unsuccessful competitor of all six of his grand slam quarter-final appearances, the twenty-six-year-old was unable to disguise his anguish after experiencing yet another crucial opportunity slipping away with his finals destiny in his own hands.

"I'm uncertain how many times I can deal with a loss like this one," de Minaur stated in Turin. "I just have to talk to my team and try to sort out these issues because these are issues that can't keep happening."

Career Crossroads

"Essentially, if I really want to be serious about taking the next step in my career, these contests, 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 getting to a point where psychologically it's destroying me."

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

Recent Disappointments

The top-ranked Australian's streak 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
• Final four in Monte Carlo against Musetti
• Wasted two-set lead against Bublik at the French Open
• Lost in a third-set tiebreaker to Andrey Rublev in the Doha semi-finals

"I continue investing everything into these matches," de Minaur said. "Whenever the outcome isn't positive, it's difficult to keep persevering."

Urgent Resolution Needed

"It's something that if it doesn't get sorted, it's going to eat me alive. I must get it sorted quickly rather than delayed."

Forthcoming Test

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

The Australian's hopes remain alive after Fritz suffered a 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 6-3 loss to Carlos Alcaraz that ensured the Spaniard would advance to the semi-finals as the winner of the Jimmy Connors group.

Tournament Implications

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

Regardless if he loses to Musetti in his final group match, Alcaraz will reclaim the world No 1 ranking unless Sinner, who defeated Auger-Aliassime in his first match on Monday, goes unbeaten to retain his ATP Finals title.

"I will try 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 concentrate on my objectives, about feeling much better than today."