Alex de Minaur won the first ATP Finals match of his career on Thursday with a gutsy defeat of 2024 finalist Taylor Fritz, with the Aussie still in with a chance for the semi-finals after winning 7-6 (3), 6-3.

The Demon came to the court with losses in all five of his previous contests at the elite year-ender, but played well from the start to unsteady a seemingly nervous and anxious Fritz, the world No. 6.

He took revenge for a loss to the American in the group phase here in Turin a year ago.

Despite round-robin losses this week to world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and a narrow defeat at the hands of Italian Lorenzo Musetti, de Minaur has mathematical chances to qualify into the Saturday semis. 

He will need Alcaraz to defeat Musetti in the evening match.

De Minaur seemed stunned by his perhaps unexpected success in 94 minutes after Fritz saved a match point in the penultimate game before the Australian threw down an ace for a second chance and then delivered a service winner to clinch victory.

“I’ve dealt with a good bit of heartbreak recently, it’s good to finally get a win in Turin,” he said. “I’ve worked really hard and it’s good to get some positive feedback or a reward for all that.

“I’m very happy with the performance today – it was a good match from the start to the end,”

De Minaur added that he is looking forward but seemed in some doubt as the eracuity of his chances to reach the weekend final four.

“I didn’t do much thinking about the what-ifs. I just committed to what I needed to do.

“There were some tough moments today but I backed myself. If it worked or if it didn’t I was going to leave everything out there.

“I’ve made my peace with that mindset. I put my best foot forward and I’m pleased with that.”

Fritz was burdened with 33 unforced errors in a lacklustre showing and ended his season 53-23 with titles on grass in Eastbourne and Stuttgart.

Main photo:-Alex de Minaur winning his first ever Masters Finals – by ISF Ltd

Taylor Fritz spoiled the chance of a 2025 German title double for Alexander Zverev with a 6-3, 7-6 (0) thrashing in the final of the ATP Stuttgart event on Sunday.

The American picked up his fourth grass trophy to run his career total to nine as he denied his world No. 3 opponent the chance to add Stuttgart to his Munich title from April on clay.

Fritz claimed his fifth win on the trot against Zverev in a match interrupted for 65 minutes by rain at the hilltop Weissenhof club; the California will move to fourth in the world on Monday with the Wimbledon start just a fortnight away

Frit also holds three trophies from the grass at Eastbourne on the English south coast.

The American won with 11 aces, as he won without facing a break point to improve to 8-5 over Zverev.

“It was not so great a clay season, so to come here and start the grass season off perfectly, I am super happy to get the title and to do it here,” the winner  said.

He is the first on the ATP to win a title without losing serve since Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in Basel last October.

Zverev missed out on his 25th career title and has now lost three grass finals – all in Germany (Halle, 2016 and 2017).- 

Iga Swiatek bounced back after losing the opening set to love, with the second seed engineering a recovery effort to reach the semi-finals on Wednesday at the Madrid Masters.

The defending champion fought back from a bagel down for the second time in her career after beating Monica Puig in Paris six years ago.

Swiatek also lost sets to love in five past defeats: 2019 (Australian Open, Roland Garros and Birmingham), 2021 (Eastbourne) and 2023 (Dubai).

She needed an hour and three-quarters to defeat Madison Keys in a battle of current Grand Slam champions, winning 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 for her 10th straight at the event.

“It was one of the weirdest matches I’ve played. It was not good, (but) at least it (was) fast.”

The Pole was broken four times, with Australian Open holder Keys also saving a match point.

The four-time Roland Garros champion will be playing her 20th semi-final at the 1000 level from 36 draw appearances.

Swiatek covered her head with a towel on the changeover following the first-set disaster, likely plotting her turnaround strategy.