Alcaraz sweeps past De Minaur for Vienna crown

Alex de Minaur beat world No. 1 Alexander Zverev in the Vienna semifinals, but Carlos Alcaraz gave the Australian little chance to build on that upset. The Spanish world No. 3 won the final 6-1, 6-4, taking just 1 hour and 28 minutes to claim the title on Sunday. It was Alcaraz’s fourth trophy of 2026 and his 28th career title. ^1,4

Those five games were all De Minaur managed in a match that began with Alcaraz breaking serve. The Spaniard broke again in the first set, using sharp shots to keep the Australian behind the baseline. De Minaur made the second set closer, saving break points in three games, but Alcaraz broke him in the 10th game to finish the match. He won all five matches in Vienna without dropping a set. ^2,7

A place in Turin is now within reach for De Minaur. The final earned him 330 ranking points and moved him to ninth in the ATP Finals Race, one point ahead of Rafael Jodar. The season-ending event takes the top eight players in that race, so the Australian’s result matters even in defeat. Alcaraz collected 500 points and is third in the race, while the fight for the final qualifying spots remains open. ¹

The Paris Masters is next for both players, giving De Minaur another chance to hold his place in the race and Alcaraz a chance to add points. The tournament begins this week. Alcaraz will face Jiri Lehecka or Alex Michelsen in his opening match. De Minaur has a first-round bye and will meet the winner of Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Andrey Rublev. ^5,6