Alcaraz overturns Fritz and heads towards the ATP Finals semifinals (and the No. 1 spot)
Carlos Alcaraz took more than 120 minutes to overcome Taylor Fritz, defeating him 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 in 2 hours and 50 minutes during his second match at the 2025 ATP Finals. After Musetti’s win against De Minaur, the four players of the group still can qualify.
Carlos Alcaraz, ATP Finals 2025 | © Ch. Caillaud / PsNewz
Imagine an arm wrestling match, as tense as it can be. Suddenly, one of the two opponents delivers a final, decisive push that takes it all. Now bring that image onto the tennis court, and you’ve captured what Carlos Alcaraz did to Taylor Fritz in Tuesday’s match between the two winners from the opening day of the Jimmy Connors group at the ATP Finals (6-7 [2], 7-5, 6-3).
Although he needed four match points, the world number one eventually escaped the clutches of Fritz, who executed the aggressive and determined game plan he had outlined the day before following his victory over Lorenzo Musetti.
Up to 2-2 in the third set, Alcaraz and Fritz were neck and neck vying for the top spot in the group. Then Alcaraz, who appeared more agile on the court in the latter stages, pulled away as Fritz’s serve faltered, winning four of the last five games to seal the contest after 2 hours and 50 minutes of entertaining tennis.
Fritz’s dominance
Until 4-4, with the score tied on Alcaraz’s serve in the second set, the American seemed slightly ahead thanks to his strong serving and depth of shots, which kept Alcaraz off rhythm and led him to commit premature errors, especially early in rallies.
“I mean, I did a lot of things well in the match, especially the first two sets”, Fritz said after the match. “I think some big points, I just wasn’t as clinical with the short put-away balls as I would have liked to have been. I really believe if I hit my forehand just a little bit better on some shots, I’m up a break in the second and I’m putting myself in a position to serve out the match.”
At 5-5, a minor fall during a rally – without serious consequence – appeared to trigger a lapse in Fritz’s focus. Mirroring the first set, when Fritz had won six of the last seven points in the tiebreak (7-2), Alcaraz responded by winning six of seven points in the crucial game, breaking serve at 5-5 to clinch the set 7-5.
Alcaraz’s aiming at a triumphant thursday
The Spaniard came through the match having conceded only one break of serve in nine attempts by Fritz, while securing three breaks of his own (one per set) across eleven opportunities.
Fritz also mentionned a pain in the knee that he can’t really control when he plays day to day matches. “Once we get to the third set, I’m struggling pretty hard with my knee tendinitis. But my opportunity to win that match was in the second set, and I didn’t take it. I had the chances.”
The final group stage day remains completely open after Musetti’s win against De Minaur on Tuesday (7-5, 3-6, 7-5). Fritz would then need to build on his triumph over Musetti when facing De Minaur, while Alcaraz, stepping in for the withdrawn Djokovic, will face Musetti with the dual aim of qualifying and solidifying his position as world number one.
Alcaraz : “enjoy and be ready”
“I try not to think about it to be honest”, Alcaraz said on court afterwards. “Obviously it’s gonna be a really big match for me. I will try not to let the nerves play a bad time for me. I’ll try to control the emotions, to control myself. I’ll think about my goals in the match. I’ll try to think about feeling much better than today with the shots, with the serve, with everything.”
“Obviously it’s gonna be a big day. Right now I’m gonna enjoy this win and try to rest as much as I can to be ready for the match.”
