Race to Turin, daily: Fritz must beat Alcaraz to stay alive and knock Jodar out
Taylor Fritz must beat Carlos Alcaraz in the Paris quarter-finals on Friday to stay in the race to Turin, and a win would end Rafael Jodar’s hopes. Frances Tiafoe qualifies if Alcaraz or Ben Shelton wins.
Taylor Fritz, Rolex Paris Masters 2026 | © Chryslène Caillaud / PsNewz
Eleventh seed Taylor Fritz, who beat Arthur Fils 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday, plays second seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters on Friday, not before 7 p.m. A win would lift him past Rafael Jodar in the race to the Nitto ATP Finals (Nov. 15-22) and end Jodar’s hopes. A defeat would knock Fritz out of the race.
Earlier on Court Central, 12th seed Tommy Paul, who beat Quentin Halys 7-6 (3), 6-4, faces third seed Ben Shelton at 2 p.m. Frances Tiafoe qualifies if Shelton or Alcaraz wins, and Jodar if both of them do, according to the ATP latest calcutaions.
Six players are qualified: Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz, Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli and Fils. With Jannik Sinner out for the season, ninth place is the last place in.
Race to Turin after Thursday in Paris
| # | Player | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Zverev Qualified · Paris: lost to Lorenzo Musetti | 9,350 | |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner Out for the season | 7,950 | |
| 3 | Carlos Alcaraz Qualified · Paris: vs. Taylor Fritz | 5,300 | |
| 4 | Ben Shelton Qualified · Paris: vs. Tommy Paul | 4,720 | |
| 5 | Daniil Medvedev Qualified · Paris: lost to Ignacio Buse | 3,820 | |
| 6 | Flavio Cobolli Qualified · withdrew from Paris | 3,680 | |
| 7 | Arthur Fils Qualified · Paris: lost to Taylor Fritz | 3,625 | |
| Qualified: 6 of 8 places | |||
| 8 | Frances Tiafoe Paris: lost to Quentin Halys | 3,390 | |
| 9 | Rafael Jodar Paris: lost to Casper Ruud | 3,234 | |
| Last place in: 9th | |||
| 10 | Alex de Minaur Paris: lost to Tomas Martin Etcheverry · out of the race | 3,170 | |
| 11 | Taylor Fritz Paris: 11th seed, vs. Carlos Alcaraz | 3,050 | |
| 12 | Novak Djokovic Paris: lost to Rinky Hijikata · out of the race | 2,940 | |
| 13 | Tommy Paul Paris: 12th seed, vs. Ben Shelton | 2,925 | |
PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, points since Jan. 1, after Thursday’s matches, from the ATP media notes. Sinner is out for the season, so ninth place is the last place in. Of the players outside the top seven, only Fritz and Paul can still add points.
Fritz needs to beat Alcaraz to stay in the race
Fritz, on 3,050 points, would move to 3,250 with a win, 16 more than Jodar. A defeat would leave him below both Jodar and Tiafoe, who is on 3,390.
Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 6-1, and Fritz’s only win came at the 2025 Laver Cup. The Spaniard reached the quarter-finals without playing after Matteo Berrettini withdrew with arm pain, and has played only one match this week, a 7-6 (4), 6-3 win over Alex Michelsen.
Even a win would not make Fritz sure of his place. If Paul also beats Shelton, he could pass Fritz by reaching the final (3,375), and Fritz would then need the final himself (3,500).
Paul must beat Shelton while Tiafoe waits
Paul, on 2,925 points, needs the final (3,375) to pass Jodar and the title (3,725) to pass Tiafoe. He faces Shelton, who beat Arthur Rinderknech 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) on Thursday. The two Americans are level at 2-2 in their head-to-head.
Tiafoe, out in the second round, stays on 3,390 points. Paul and Fritz are in opposite halves of the draw, and Tiafoe can only miss Turin if Paul wins the title by beating Fritz in the final.
What each contender needs in Paris
| Player | Qualifies if | Out if |
|---|---|---|
| Frances Tiafoe | Shelton or Alcaraz wins on Friday | Paul wins the title, beating Fritz in the final |
| Rafael Jodar | Shelton and Alcaraz both win on Friday | Fritz beats Alcaraz, or Paul reaches the final |
| Taylor Fritz | He reaches the final, or the semi-finals with Paul short of the final | He loses to Alcaraz, or in the semi-finals while Paul reaches the final |
| Tommy Paul | He reaches the final | He loses before the final |
Calculated from the ATP totals and the points for each round. Paul and Fritz are in opposite halves of the draw.
What Friday’s two quarter-finals can settle
If Shelton and Alcaraz both win, Tiafoe and Jodar qualify and the line-up for Turin is complete. If Fritz beats Alcaraz, Jodar is out.
If Shelton beats Paul, Tiafoe qualifies, and a Fritz win in the night session would also send Fritz to Turin. If Paul beats Shelton and Alcaraz beats Fritz, Tiafoe qualifies and Paul needs the final to take the last place from Jodar.
If Paul and Fritz both win, Jodar is out and Tiafoe has to wait.
Race totals by round reached in Paris
| Player | Now | SF | F | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fritz | 3,050 | 3,250 | 3,500 | 3,850 |
| Paul | 2,925 | 3,125 | 3,375 | 3,725 |
“Now”: current total, kept with a defeat on Friday. SF, F: total if he reaches that round. W: total with the title. Tiafoe stays on 3,390 and Jodar on 3,234. Source: ATP media notes.
