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The Australian tennis star's hopes of advancing to the ATP Finals semi-finals are hanging by a thread after a gut-wrenching three-set loss to Italian opponent Lorenzo Musetti.

Devastating Loss in Turin

The world No 7 went down 7-5 3-6 7-5 after being unable to close out the match, keeping the Italian to remain in the tournament and now forcing the Australian requiring to convincingly beat Taylor Fritz in his third and final group match to reach the semi-finals.

Psychological Challenges Threaten Career

But facing Fritz in 48 hours is the smallest of de Minaur's immediate concerns as the Sydneysider admits he must address 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 distress after experiencing 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 must 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 genuine about advancing to the next level in my career, these contests, I must win them. I just can't. It seems as if I've been defeated in a lot of them this year. Most importantly, it's getting to a point where mentally it's killing me."

Characterizing his emotions as "quite dark", de Minaur lamented a succession of final set collapses in 2025 and said he must find a way to win the tight encounters.

Recent Disappointments

The Australia No 1's run of crushing losses comprise:

• Latest 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-5) outcome 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
• Lost 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 result's not there, it's hard to keep persevering."

Urgent Resolution Needed

"This is an issue that if it isn't resolved, it's going to consume me completely. I need to get it sorted sooner rather than later."

Forthcoming Test

De Minaur and Fritz are 5-5 in past meetings, though the sixth-ranked American emerged victorious in their matchup in this prestigious tournament last year.

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

Tournament Implications

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

Regardless if he loses to 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 undefeated to retain his ATP Finals title.

"I will try not to focus on it," commented 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 concentrate on my goals, about performing much better than today."