ATP Tour

Alcaraz outlasts Fritz in three-set thriller at Nitto ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz stayed firmly on course for his maiden Nitto ATP Finals crown on Tuesday, when he rallied past Taylor Fritz in a pulsating two-hour, 48-minute clash.

In front of a packed crowd inside Inalpi Arena, the top-seeded Spaniard produced a stirring comeback to prevail 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 and remain unbeaten at 2-0 in the Jimmy Connors Group. Last year’s runner-up Fritz looked poised to claim his second indoor win over Alcaraz in 2025, but the 22-year-old turned the tide with a blend of resilience and shotmaking 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 pretty tight, I was struggling more than him in the first set,” said Alcaraz, who let slip a break lead in the opener. “I wasn’t serving well, and I think he was pretty comfortable from the baseline, from everywhere…

“I was really relieved after the win because of everything I went through during the match. I wasn’t feeling the ball as well as I was in the first round, but I’m really 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 defeats debutant Lorenzo Musetti later on Tuesday. He has also moved to within 50 points of securing ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours over rival Jannik Sinner. He will finish his round-robin campaign against Musetti on Thursday.

“I will try not to think about it,” Alcaraz said with a smile when he told he needs one more win in Turin to secure Year-End No. 1. “It’s going to be a really big match for me. I will try not to let the nerves play a bad time in the match. I will think about my goals, about feeling much better than today.”

The highlight of the match came early in the second set, when Alcaraz — facing break point at 2-2 — conjured a bit of magic to escape a losing rally before charging the net for a crisp volley winner. That effort was one of many in a marathon 14-minute service hold and proved to spark a momentum shift.

Having saved both break points he faced in the second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, Alcaraz then benefitted from a slice of luck in the decisive 12th game. A shovelled backhand return at 0/15 clipped 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 en route to improving to 5-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.