Carlos Alcaraz moved one win away from securing the year-end World No 1 after defeating Taylor Fritz in a three-set epic at the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz battled from a set down, withstanding one of the performances of Fritz’s life as the World No 6 pushed hard for the break in the second set, as the Spaniard won 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 49 minutes.
After his opening win over Alex de Minaur, the 22-year-old Alcaraz can now can confirm the year-end No 1 ahead of rival Jannik Sinner if he defeats Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday. Alcaraz will advance to the semi-finals if De Minaur defeats Musetti later on Tuesday.
Things would have looked very different had Fritz managed to get the break when he was on top in the second set. A defeat for Alcaraz would have resulted in Fritz taking charge of the group and could have opened the door for Sinner to reclaim No 1 by facing Alcaraz in the semi-finals.
But, with his back against the wall in the second set, Alcaraz managed to win a series of stunning points to stay alive before pouncing on a lapse from Fritz as he served down 5-6. The American, who will also rue a net-cord on 0-15 in that decisive game, then ran out of gas in the decider.
“It was pretty tight. I think I was running more than him. I was struggling more than him,” Alcaraz said. “I think the first set, I didn't serve well, and I think he was playing really, really, comfortable from the baseline, with everything,
“I was really relieved after the win because everything that I went through during the match, physically. I didn't feel the ball as well as the first round, but I’m really happy that I found the way to fight, to find the weaknesses from him. Really happy that I got that I got the win at the end.”
Alcaraz has not held the year-end No 1 since he was a teenager in 2022, following his first grand slam title at the US Open. Alcaraz will also be up against the home crowd as he faces Musetti, although he leads their head-to-head 6-1 and has won their last six meetings.
“It's gonna be a really big match for me,” Alcaraz said. “I will try not let the nerves [affect me].I will try to control the emotions, to control myself.
“I will try to think about feeling much better than today with the shots, with the set, with with everything, but obviously it's going to be a big day. So right now I'm gonna enjoy this win. I'm gonna try to rest as much as I can just to be ready for for the next match.”
Alcaraz and Fritz were meeting for the fourth time over the second half of the season and the American was close to securing his second win against the World No 1 following his victory in the Laver Cup two months ago. The quality was high throughout, with Tim Henman calling it one of the “top five” matches of the year.
“Two of the best players in the world going head to head and just throwing everything at it,” Henman said on Sky Sports. “From the word go, the quality, the intensity, the ball striking was just amazing.
“Alcaraz, we just heard him talking about his relief of finding the solutions against Fritz, he was a little bit self-critical, but I think so much of it was about the quality of Fritz.
“Every opportunity he got to pull the trigger, he just went for his shots, and Alcaraz was up against it for the vast majority of that match.”
