Alcaraz recovers to beat Fritz as No. 1 comes into view

Carlos Alcaraz stepped closer to the final four of the ATP Finals on Tuesday and tightened his grip on further possible year-end honours with a 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-3 group defeat of Taylor Fritz.

The world No. 1 needs to win his concluding round-robin contest on Thursday to finish the season at the top of the rankings, leaving rival Jannik Sinner on second.

The Spaniard made a smooth recovery after a sloppy opening set of the nearly three-hour showdown against last year’s finalist here against Sinner.

Alcaraz will win his group if Australian Alex de Minaur beats Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in a later match.

Alcaraz said he needed a quick turnaround after dropping the opening set to his Californian opponent, sixth in the world

“It was a really tight match, I was struggling more than he was in the first  set. I was not serving well and he was playing strong from the baseline.”

Alcaraz said he felt “relief” after coming through on his fourth match point.

“Physically, I was not feeling the ball like in my first match, I’m just happy I found a way to win. I was able to find his weaknesses and get the win.”

The Spaniard finished with nearly 50 winners and withstood 14 Fritz ace.

His last group match will be against Musetti.

“It will be really big for me. I’ll try and not let nerves give me a bad time. I’ll try to control my emotions and think of my goals in that match and try to get some rest and recovery.”

Alcaraz posted his 69th victory of the season and is bidding for his ninth title of 2025.

Main photo:- Carlos Alcaraz celebrates winning his second match – by ISF Ltd