TURIN, Italy (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz was full of smiles as he lifted the trophy for the year-end No. 1 tennis player on Friday.
After a scintillating tussle with Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz secured the ranking on Thursday by sealing a sweep of his three group-stage matches at the ATP Finals.
Click to Gallery
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses with his team as he holds the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1 as ATP world best player during the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz holds the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1 as ATP world best player during the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz kisses the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1 as ATP world best player during the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz holds the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1 as ATP world best player during the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz holds the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1 as ATP world best player during the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
The 22-year-old Spaniard was presented with the trophy at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, shortly before Sinner’s match against Ben Shelton.
“It’s a great pleasure for me to be No. 1 in the world again,” Alcaraz said. “It’s something that I’m working really hard for, with my team every day. It is a goal, to be honest, but I think it is a journey that you’re not going through alone.
“It’s with your whole team, with your family, with your close people behind you, always supporting you, in the tough and in the good moments."
It is the second time in his career that Alcaraz has ended the year at the top of the rankings.
He became the youngest player to finish a year at No. 1 when he achieved the feat as a 19-year-old in 2022.
“Having this trophy once again, the first one back in 2022, I have the same team. I’m still really proud of the team that I have right now,” Alcaraz added.
“So for me, it’s a great achievement. It means the world to me, to be honest, and I’m just really proud and happy.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz poses with his team as he holds the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1 as ATP world best player during the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz holds the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1 as ATP world best player during the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz kisses the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1 as ATP world best player during the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz holds the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1 as ATP world best player during the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz holds the trophy for finishing the year ranked No. 1 as ATP world best player during the ATP World Tour Finals, in Turin, Italy, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
TOKYO (AP) — Naoya Inoue retained his undisputed super-bantamweight crown with a unanimous decision victory over Junto Nakatani on Saturday in one of the biggest bouts in Japanese boxing history.
Two judges scored the fight 116-112, while one had it 115-113, all in favor of Inoue after 12 rounds before a sell-out crowd of 55,000 at the Tokyo Dome.
Inoue (33-0, 27 KOs) kept his WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO belts — and then apologized for not delivering a knockout.
The 33-year-old Inoue, nicknamed “The Monster” and hailed as Japan's greatest boxer, also praised Nakatani (32-1, 24 KOs).
“He was a fighter with a strong heart. That’s what makes this win mean so much,” said Inoue, a four-division champion.
The highly anticipated bout galvanized fans here for the past year with former champions and other experts offering commentary. Most predictions had favored Inoue because of his experience, speed and power.
The fight amply displayed both boxers’ dexterity, in offense and defense, with both taking nice swings as well as jabs, but a lot simply failed to land.
The 28-year-old Nakatani, a southpaw, used his longer reach to keep Inoue’s punches at bay, while Inoue simply swayed his body or got out of the way.
The challenger became more aggressive after the sixth round, moving forward to try to land punches. But Inoue used his quick footwork to evade them, landing some jabs back in the process.
“I came prepared so there were no surprises, but the champion was great,” a somber Nakatani said after absorbing his first professional loss.
Nakatani suffered a cut above his left eye in what appeared to come from an accidental clash of heads, and officials said he was going to a hospital afterward to get it checked.
In a closely watched undercard, Inoue’s younger brother Takuma (22-2, 5 KOs) beat former four-division champion Kazuto Ioka (32-5-1, 17 KOs) by unanimous decision to retain his WBC bantamweight title.
“I really enjoyed the 12 exciting rounds, all thanks to my opponent, who is a legend,” Takuma Inoue said. “I want to prove I’m not just Naoya Inoue’s brother.”
Still, Takuma prevented Ioka from becoming a five-division champion, handing that possible honor to his brother, believed to have a good chance of doing just that.
The story of the Inoue brothers, who took up boxing as youngsters and grew up in loving families that encouraged their pursuit, is well known among boxing fans here. Their father Shingo Inoue was at ringside for both fighters, as always.
There was no doubt the big all-Japanese fight had endeared fans to both the skills and personalities of the boxers.
Michifumi Hori, one such fan, proudly wore an Inoue T-shirt and said he was cheering for both Inoue brothers.
“This is something you can’t hope to see for another 50 years,” he said. “I love boxing because it’s about becoming world champion.”
Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama
AP boxing: https://apnews.com/boxing
Naoya Inoue of Japan, right, celebrates as he beat Junto Nakatani of Japan in a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Junto Nakatani, right, of Japan fights Naoya Inoue of Japan during the sixth round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Naoya Inoue of Japan, left, fights Junto Nakatani of Japan during second round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Naoya Inoue of Japan, right, raises his arms as he beat Junto Nakatani of Japan in a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Naoya Inoue of Japan, left, punches Junto Nakatani of Japan during the tenth round of a boxing match for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO super bantamweight world title in Tokyo, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
