World number one Carlos Alcaraz kept his perfect record intact at the ATP Finals with a hard-fought and electrifying victory over American Taylor Fritz in Turin. The match, which took place on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, saw Alcaraz battle back to win 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 in a contest that lasted two hours and forty-eight minutes.
A Grueling Battle from the Start
The encounter was intense from the very first game. Fritz, a finalist in the previous year's tournament, started strong, holding his serve in a demanding nine-minute opening game that featured three aces and two break points against him. The first set was a nail-biter, with both players trading breaks of serve before it culminated in a tiebreak. Fritz dominated the tiebreak, racing to a 5-2 lead and sealing it 7-2 with two powerful aces.
Alcaraz admitted to struggling in the initial phase. "It was pretty tight, I was struggling more than him in the first set," the Spaniard said after the match. "I wasn't serving well, and I think he was pretty comfortable from the baseline, from everywhere." The pressure mounted on Alcaraz in the second set as he faced multiple break points, but he demonstrated immense resilience to hold his serve and eventually break Fritz to level the match.
Alcaraz Shifts Gears as Fritz Falters
The momentum of the match shifted decisively in the third and final set. Fritz, after playing what many are calling the tennis of his life, began to show signs of fatigue. Seizing the opportunity, Alcaraz turned on the style. He secured a crucial break to lead 4-2 and then comfortably served out the match, finishing with a love hold to claim a vital victory.
Alcaraz's win marks his second consecutive victory in the Jimmy Connors Group, putting him in a commanding position to advance to the semi-finals. The Spaniard acknowledged the mental challenge, stating, "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."
What This Victory Means for Alcaraz
This thrilling win has significant implications for the young Spanish sensation. Alcaraz will secure his spot in the semi-finals if Alex de Minaur defeats Lorenzo Musetti in their group match. Furthermore, the victory brings him within touching distance of a massive personal milestone. He needs just one more win to guarantee finishing the year as the world number one player.
His final round-robin match will be against Italy's Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday. Alcaraz is trying to stay focused on the task at hand. "I try not to think about it to be honest," he said regarding the year-end top ranking. "Obviously it's going to be a really big match for me. I'll try to control the emotions, to control myself." For Taylor Fritz, the defeat, despite a heroic effort, makes his path to the knockout stages much more difficult.
