Alcaraz Nears Top Spot with Gritty Win Over Fritz at ATP Finals

Turin (Italy), Nov 12 (AP) – Carlos Alcaraz stands on the brink of clinching the year-end No. 1 ranking after a gritty victory over Taylor Fritz. Alcaraz rallied from a set down to triumph 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-3 in Tuesday's ATP Finals showdown. To ensure his status as the world's top player for a second time, Alcaraz needs just one more win—either against Lorenzo Musetti in his final group match or in the semifinals.

"I'm trying not to think about it, to be honest," Alcaraz admitted post-match. "But it's really difficult, not to think about the No. 1 spot."

With this victory, Alcaraz improved his record to 2-0 at this prestigious event, which features the top eight players of the season. His semifinal berth was secured later when Musetti edged past Alex de Minaur with a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 win.

The No. 1 spot hangs in the balance. If Alcaraz stumbles in his upcoming matches and Jannik Sinner maintains an undefeated streak to defend his title, Sinner could potentially claim the top spot.

In a hard-fought encounter, Alcaraz delivered 47 winners against Fritz's 38, coming back from a set down despite facing 14 aces from his resilient American opponent.

"It was a really difficult match," Alcaraz reflected. "Really demanding physically. It was really tight. I saved really difficult and important moments during the match, which I'm really proud of and really happy about it to show a really good tennis when it matters."

Fritz had opportunities to break Alcaraz's serve early in the second set but couldn't capitalize. "I just wasn't clinical enough in finishing some points on some really big points," Fritz said, recognizing his missed opportunities. "The first two sets I think I did an incredible job serving and returning. I gave myself all the chances I could possibly ask for the first two sets. My opportunity to win that match was in the second set, and I didn't take it. I had the chances."

Alcaraz now tops the Jimmy Connors group, positioning himself ahead of Fritz and Musetti. Musetti, who replaced Novak Djokovic due to a shoulder injury, has a 1-1 record, while De Minaur remains winless at 0-2. The top two players from each group will advance to the semifinals.

Sinner, meanwhile, leads his group after defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in his opening match on Monday.

Fritz, dealing with persistent knee tendinitis, showed visible discomfort in the third set. "It gets a little bit tough to bend my knee on my serve once we get that late into the match," Fritz explained. "My knee is completely cooked. I've had tendinitis all year long. I've really struggled to play back-to-back days without it flaring up.… I started feeling it towards the end of the first set, but it didn't really affect me until the third set. It just got to the point where I was really struggling to bend my back leg on my serve, step into backhands, load the leg, my right leg, for an open-stance forehand."

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