Alcaraz on Course for Semifinals and World Number One

Carlos Alcaraz was on the brink of defeat, which would have complicated both his tournament and his world number one ranking, but he rallied to defeat Taylor Fritz (6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-3) and is now on course for the semifinals of the ATP Finals.

The Spaniard showed more freshness in the third set than Fritz, who had battled for two hours and 45 minutes and had victory within his grasp in the second set. A classic scenario in his career, Fritz failed to close it out and paid the price. He is not eliminated, but he came very close to putting Alcaraz in a difficult position.

Had he lost, Alcaraz would have needed to defeat Lorenzo Musetti to likely face Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, a match that would have been a fierce battle for the world number one spot.

Now, Alcaraz can approach the match against Musetti with much more calm. If he wins, he is assured of ending the year as the best, securing the top spot in the group and likely avoiding Sinner, who plays against Alexander Zverev on Wednesday, until the final.

Fritz, who had just defeated Musetti in his debut at these ATP Finals, proved to be a very dangerous opponent in this tournament. Having reached the final last year, the American overcame a break deficit in a marathon first set lasting one hour and eleven minutes to win the tiebreak, where Alcaraz's backhand faltered with three glaring errors. From the stands, Juan Carlos Ferrero urged him to stay "looser" with his forehand, especially in defence, as Fritz was highly accurate and his serve was a barrage.

In the second set, Fritz aimed to defeat Alcaraz for the first time in an official match—having only beaten him in the Laver Cup—and he had the opportunity. With the score at 4-4 and deuce, Alcaraz left a dead ball mid-court ready for Fritz to smash. Fritz, focused on the ball and not watching his opponent's movement, hit it to the only spot on the court where the Spaniard was waiting, who nailed the passing shot and went on to win the set.

"Stay there," Samuel López repeated from his bench, as it seemed that the missed opportunity continued to echo in Fritz's mind, who is often accustomed to losing these matches against the best.

After more than two hours, the American faced a third set with exhaustion. His service games no longer lasted fifty seconds and were not resolved with three aces and a winning forehand. Moreover, he could not force a single break point on the serve of a much fresher Alcaraz. His only redemption was saving three match points at 5-2 down, but in the next game, the Spaniard did not hesitate to close out a match that propels him to the semifinals.

This marks his 69th victory of the year, and he is one win away from reaching 70 for the first time in his career and securing the world number one spot. He will face Musetti on Thursday, in their seventh encounter. Alcaraz has won the last six meetings, with his last loss to Musetti occurring in the Hamburg final in 2022.