Carlos Alcaraz remained firmly on course for his first title in the Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday as he got past Taylor Fritz in a pulsating match lasting two hours and 48 minutes.
In front of a packed crowd at the Inalpi Arena, the top-seeded Spaniard staged an electrifying comeback to win 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 and remain unbeaten 2-0 in the Jimmy Connors Group. Last year’s runner-up Fritz looked set to claim his second indoor victory over Alcaraz in 2025, but the 22-year-old turned the tide with a mix of resilience and shot-making brilliance – highlighted by a marathon 14-minute service hold in the second set.
Carlitos comes through! ?@carlosalcaraz | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/8t2Rm3317B
— ATP tour (@atptour) November 11, 2025
“It was quite tight, I struggled more than him in the first set,” said Alcaraz, who let a break lead slip away in the opener. “I didn’t serve well and I think he felt pretty comfortable from the baseline, from everywhere…
“I was very relieved after the win because of everything I experienced during the match. I didn’t feel the ball as well as I did in the first round, but I’m very happy that I found a way to come back and find weakness from him.”
Alcaraz can now qualify for the semi-finals if Alex de Minaur beats debutant Lorenzo Musetti later on Tuesday. He has also moved within 50 points after securing ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF awards against rival Jannik Sinner. He concludes his round-robin campaign against Musetti on Thursday.
“I’ll try not to think about it,” Alcaraz said with a smile as he said he needed one more win in Turin to secure the year-end No. 1. “It will be a very big match for me. I will try not to let the nerves have a bad time in the match. I will think about my goals, about the fact that I feel much better than today.”
The highlight of the match came early in the second set, when Alcaraz – with a break point at 2-2 – conjured a bit of magic to escape a losing rally before storming the net for a sharp volley winner. That effort was one of many during a 14-minute marathon shift and proved to create a momentum shift.
After saving both break points he faced in the second set, Alcaraz benefited from a bit of luck in the decisive 12th game, according to Infosys ATP Stats. A backhand return at 0/15 cut the net cord, wrong-footing Fritz and opening the door for Alcaraz, who converted his second set point before taking firm control of the decider on his way to improving to 5-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
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