Spanish top seed Carlos Alcaraz battled to overcome American Taylor Fritz 6-7 (2-7) 7-5 6-3 in a thrilling two-hour and 48-minute contest at the ATP Finals in Turin. Despite being forced to dig deep, Alcaraz eventually found his level and sealed victory with a spectacular overhead backhand drop shot to reach a third match point on Fritz's serve.
The match was a real nail-biter, with both players trading blows and neither able to gain a clear advantage. Fritz, the 2024 runner-up, matched Alcaraz for much of the contest, but the Spanish ace finally found his footing in the second set and broke for a 4-2 lead.
Alcaraz's victory has propelled him into contention for the year-end world number one ranking, while Fritz will be disappointed to have fallen short. The American had been impressive throughout the match, missing just two break points in the eighth game before ultimately succumbing to Alcaraz's determination and skill.
The win sets up a crucial encounter for Alcaraz against ninth seed Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday. Musetti, who produced a remarkable comeback from 5-3 down in his own match against Alex de Minaur, will be hoping to repeat the heroics and cause an upset. Alcaraz's victory over Fritz has moved him within striking distance of the year-end ranking, but he knows that he must finish strong if he is to secure the top spot.
"I was really relieved after the win because of everything I went through physically," Alcaraz said in a post-match interview. "I'm really happy that I found a way to come back and find his weaknesses."
The match was a real nail-biter, with both players trading blows and neither able to gain a clear advantage. Fritz, the 2024 runner-up, matched Alcaraz for much of the contest, but the Spanish ace finally found his footing in the second set and broke for a 4-2 lead.
Alcaraz's victory has propelled him into contention for the year-end world number one ranking, while Fritz will be disappointed to have fallen short. The American had been impressive throughout the match, missing just two break points in the eighth game before ultimately succumbing to Alcaraz's determination and skill.
The win sets up a crucial encounter for Alcaraz against ninth seed Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday. Musetti, who produced a remarkable comeback from 5-3 down in his own match against Alex de Minaur, will be hoping to repeat the heroics and cause an upset. Alcaraz's victory over Fritz has moved him within striking distance of the year-end ranking, but he knows that he must finish strong if he is to secure the top spot.
"I was really relieved after the win because of everything I went through physically," Alcaraz said in a post-match interview. "I'm really happy that I found a way to come back and find his weaknesses."
Omg what a match! Carlos Alcaraz is literally unstoppable right now 
he's got the skills and the determination, and it paid off big time against Taylor Fritz 
Alcaraz was down 2 breaks but he just refused to give up and came back stronger than ever 
I'm loving his humility too, "I found a way to come back" is such an underdog story 
now let's see how he takes on Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday? 
can he keep this momentum going?
he didn't even have 2 try that hard Fritz played him fair & square & still managed 2 push him 2 the limit 
That overhead backhand drop shot was insane! 
Fritz played a great match but Alcaraz's determination won out. Now let's see if he can take down Musetti on Thursday 
i was on the edge of my seat the whole time, fritz was giving it his all but alcaraz just couldn't be beat. and now he's in contention for that number one ranking, fingers crossed for him! 
alcaraz's reaction to the match was pretty relatable too, i can imagine how relieved he must've been after going through all that physical stuff. also musetti's comeback story is insane 
it's crazy how both players could go toe-to-toe for like 2 hours straight! Alcaraz must've been literally drained from all that physical effort 
but he just found his groove in the second set and BAM! 
now we gotta see what Musetti's got against Alcaraz, that's gonna be a tough one 
. Fritz was unlucky not to take home the win, but you've got to hand it to Alcaraz - that overhead backhand drop shot was pure magic 
! He's definitely in contention now, but we'll see if he can keep up the momentum against Musetti on Thursday 
. One thing's for sure, it's going to be a thrilling tournament finish! 
. Alcaraz seems to have found his level and now he's just one step away from that number 1 spot 
.
can't wait for his next match against Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday 