đź”— Share this article {'Mentally it's killing me': De Minaur on brink of ATP Finals exit after final set collapse The Australian tennis star's hopes of advancing to the ATP Finals semi-finals are hanging by a thread after a heartbreaking three-set loss to Italian opponent Lorenzo Musetti. Crushing Defeat in Turin The seventh-ranked player succumbed 7-5 3-6 7-5 after being unable to close out the match, keeping the Italian to stay alive in the event and now leaving the Australian requiring to decisively defeat Taylor Fritz in his third and final group match to reach the semi-finals. Psychological Challenges Threaten Career But confronting Fritz in two days' time is the smallest of de Minaur's pressing worries as the Sydneysider admits he must confront the mental demons that threaten to cruel his career. A unsuccessful competitor of all six of his grand slam quarter-final appearances, the twenty-six-year-old was couldn't hide his distress after suffering yet another high-stakes near miss with his tournament fate in his own hands. "I'm uncertain how many times I can handle a loss like this one," de Minaur stated in Turin. "I just have to talk to my team and try to sort out these problems because these are challenges that can't keep happening." Professional Turning Point "I mean, if I really want to be serious about taking the next step in my career, these contests, I must win them. I just can't. It feels like I've been defeated in a lot of them this year. More than anything, it's reaching a point where psychologically it's killing me." Characterizing his feelings as "quite dark", de Minaur bemoaned a succession of final set collapses in 2025 and said he must find a way to win the close matches. Recent Disappointments The top-ranked Australian's run of devastating defeats include: Latest 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-5) outcome against Alexander Bublik at the Paris Masters Closely-contested US Open quarter-final loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime Semi-final in Monte Carlo against Musetti Squandered 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 commented. "When the outcome isn't positive, it's difficult to keep pushing through." Immediate Solution Needed "This is an issue that if it isn't resolved, it's going to eat me alive. I must get it sorted quickly rather than delayed." Upcoming Challenge De Minaur and Fritz are 5-5 in previous encounters, though the sixth-ranked American won their matchup in this showpiece event last year. The Aussie's hopes remain flickering after Fritz experienced a 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 6-3 loss to Carlos Alcaraz that guaranteed the Spaniard would progress to the semi-finals as the victor 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 year-end 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 unless Sinner, who defeated Auger-Aliassime in his first match on Monday, goes unbeaten to defend his ATP Finals title. "I'll attempt not to focus on it," said Alcaraz. "This will represent a really big match for me. I will try not to let the nerves play a bad time in the match. I will think about my objectives, about performing much better than today."