🔗 Share this article {'Mentally it's killing me': De Minaur on brink of ATP Finals exit after third-set meltdown Alex de Minaur's aspirations of advancing to the ATP Finals last four are dangling by a slender margin after a gut-wrenching three-set loss to Lorenzo Musetti. Devastating Loss in Turin The world No 7 succumbed 7-5 3-6 7-5 after being unable to close out the match, keeping the Italian to stay alive in the tournament and now leaving the Australian needing to convincingly beat Taylor Fritz in his third and final group match to reach the semi-finals. Mental Demons Threaten Career But facing Fritz in 48 hours is the least of de Minaur's immediate concerns as the Sydneysider concedes he must confront the mental demons that threaten to cruel his career. A loser of all six of his grand slam quarter-final appearances, the twenty-six-year-old was unable to disguise his anguish after suffering yet another crucial opportunity slipping away with his finals destiny in his own hands. "I'm uncertain how many times I can handle a loss like this one," de Minaur said in Turin. "I just have to talk to my team and try to sort out these problems because these are issues that cannot continue occurring." Career Crossroads "Essentially, if I really want to be serious about taking the next step in my career, these contests, I must win them. I just must not. It feels like I've been defeated in a lot of them this year. More than anything, it's reaching a point where mentally it's destroying me." Describing his feelings as "quite dark", de Minaur lamented a series of final set collapses in 2025 and said he must discover methods to win the close matches. Recent Setbacks The Australia No 1's run of devastating defeats include: Latest 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 Final four 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 keep putting everything into these matches," de Minaur commented. "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 consume me completely. I must get it sorted sooner rather than later." Forthcoming Test De Minaur and Fritz are tied at five wins each in past meetings, though the American world No 6 won their meeting in this showpiece event last year. The Australian's chances 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. Championship Consequences The world No 2's victory, having already defeated de Minaur, put Alcaraz within one win 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 except if Sinner, who defeated Auger-Aliassime in his opener on Monday, goes unbeaten to defend his ATP Finals title. "I'll attempt not to think about it," said Alcaraz. "This will represent a extremely important match for me. I will try not to let the anxiety play a bad time in the match. I will think about my objectives, about performing much better than today."