To mark the end of another thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. Today we highlight five standout ATP Tour matches (not including Grand Slams) from this season.
For 2025, fans have the chance to vote for the ATP Match of the Year. Read on for a recap of the shortlisted contenders.
Miami R3, De Minaur d. Fonseca 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
The Joao Fonseca hype-train had hit new heights by the time of March’s Miami Open presented by Itau. The teenage Brazilian, who closed 2024 by winning the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF, quickly became a star attraction for fans this season. Not least in Miami, where he reached the third round of an ATP Masters 1000 for the first time with the raucous backing of hundreds of Brazilian fans.
Yet Alex de Minaur is not known as one of the ATP Tour’s great competitors for nothing. Even in the face of a pro-Fonseca crowd, the Australian showcased all his battling abilities to halt his opponent’s momentum. De Minaur recovered from losing the opening set and from dropping serve in the opening game of the decider to prevail in a pulsating third-round clash.
“It was a hell of a battle. I knew coming in what to expect,” said De Minaur, who nodded to the carnival feel of the match by signing ‘Rio Open’ on the camera lens after his win. “Not only is he an incredibly talented, dangerous, explosive player, but he’s playing with so much confidence at the moment and the crowd behind him. I knew I was going to be up against it and it was going to take every single ounce of me. Just put my head down and got to work, so very happy with that win.”
Watch Highlights Of De Minaur & Fonseca’s Miami Matchup:
Monte-Carlo QF, Alcaraz d. Fils 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
A quality encounter featuring plenty of high-octane exchanges between two of the ATP Tour’s bright young stars lit up the quarter-finals at April’s Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. Carlos Alcaraz and Arthur Fils, contesting their maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash, gave an early indication that their rivalry will be one to savour for years to come.
With both players producing plenty of heavy hitting from the baseline, Alcaraz’s experience and ability to hold his nerve under pressure proved crucial. Already a set down, the Spaniard saved three break points at 5-5, 0/40 in the second set, and he later rallied from 1-3 in the third to earn a dramatic two-hour, 23-minute victory.
“I think his level is high right now and he puts a lot of pressure on his opponents,” said Alcaraz, who went on to lift the title in Monte-Carlo. “Today I could feel it but in some moments he just made a few mistakes. I tried to make the most of those points and wait for my chances.”
Watch Highlights Of Alcaraz Outlasting Fils In Monte-Carlo:
Washington QF, Moutet d. Medvedev 1-6, 6-4, 6-4
Corentin Moutet’s whirlwind week in Washington was highlighted by a remarkable quarter-final triumph against former No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. Having only made the Mubadala Citi DC Open main draw as a lucky loser, French lefty Moutet survived gruelling heat, cramps, and a mid-match suspension due to lightning to book his last-four spot in the U.S. capital.
Moutet’s bid for a Maiden ATP 500 semi-final appearance was in tatters after he dropped a one-sided first set, but he deployed his crafty game to great effect to rally and ultimately prevailed in a chaotic climax, which featured play being suspended due to lightning before Medvedev could start serving at 4-5 in the decider.
Upon returning to court, Medvedev offered up three double faults in his service game, while Moutet immediately started cramping, but the Frenchman still somehow pulled through by converting a manic match point that featured plenty of scrambling from both players, a net cord, and a delicious Moutet lob.
“I was feeling tired, but not that bad. And then, I don’t know, in two minutes I just started to feel a few cramps and then started to feel my body,” reflected Moutet on the final game. “I was pretty lucky with the interruption. It helped me a lot, even if I came back on the court with cramps still.”
Watch Highlights Of Moutet’s Wild Washington Upset:
Vienna F, Sinner d. Zverev 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
Like Moutet in D.C., Jannik Sinner also cut through cramp to claim a three-set victory in the final of October’s Erste Bank Open. The Italian has become renowned for his ability to bulldoze through opponents (48 of his 58 tour-level wins in 2025 came in straight sets), but Zverev pushed him all the way in a heavyweight championship-match clash in Vienna.
Sinner initially began to move gingerly after he dropped serve in the fourth game of the opening set, which he was unable to rescue. Although he appeared to shake off that issue and produced a classy second-set display to force a decider, he resorted to pickle juice at changeovers and an extra-aggressive approach to keep rallies short after cramp hit his left hamstring midway through the third set.
Whatever Sinner did in the face of his physical struggles, it worked. After clinching a two-hour, 29-minute victory, Sinner earned his 21st consecutive tour-level win on indoor hard courts, a streak he extended to 31 matches by the end of the year after subsequent title runs at the Rolex Paris Masters and Nitto ATP Finals. The Italian also defeated Zverev at both those events and finished 2025 with a 6-4 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
“It was such a difficult start in this final for me,” reflected Sinner after sinking Zverev in the Austrian capital. “I just tried to stick there mentally and play my best tennis when it came. The third set was a bit of a rollercoaster, but I was feeling the ball very well at times, so I tried to push and I’m very happy of course to win another title.”
Watch Highlights Of Sinner & Zverev’s Vienna Title Clash:
Athens F, Djokovic d. Musetti 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
In the last regular-season title match of 2025, Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti went toe to toe for three hours in an absorbing battle at the Vanda Pharmaceuticals Hellenic Championship in Athens.
Djokovic pushed himself to his physical limits in trademark fashion to clinch the trophy in Athens, but only after prevailing in a pulsating third set that featured 13 breaks points and five breaks of serve. But despite having let slip leads of 3-1 and 5-3 in the decider, the former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings sealed the title in style by serving out to love.
“An incredible battle… Three hours of a gruelling match, physically,” said Djokovic after he surpassed Roger Federer for the most tour-level titles on hard courts in the Open Era (72). “It could have been anybody’s match, so congrats to Lorenzo for an amazing performance. I’m just very proud of myself to get through this one.”
Watch Highlights Of Djokovic & Musetti’s Three-Hour Marathon:
To read about more of the best encounters in 2025, read our countdowns of the Best Grand Slam matches, the biggest ATP Tour upsets, and the biggest Grand Slam upsets.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
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