ATP Finals: Carlos Alcaraz beats Taylor Fritz in an exciting match and Lorenzo Musetti impresses the Turin crowd

Sixth seed Fritz, runner-up in 2024, faced off with Alcaraz in most of the entertaining matches. But Alcaraz, as he often does, found another tool to turn the game around.

Four 30-minute opening matches set the tone, with both players trading breaks in long service matches.

Fritz, who won their last indoor encounter in the Laver Cup last September, wasted two break points in the eighth game, but he continued to press and dominated the tie-break to win the first set, which lasted 70 minutes.

Alcaraz earned a decisive serve after the eighth deuce in the 14-minute fifth game of the second set, and pointed to his ear to gain the crowd’s appreciation after saving two break points.

Fritz overcame his first test in the second set to pull off an important 4-4 upset, but could not escape four games later when, seemingly out of nowhere, a rare double fault contributed to a 0-40 deficit – and Alcaraz took his chance.

Fritz continued to clash with his opponent and finished the match with 75% first serve, but Alcaraz took full advantage when his game dropped at the end.

Breaking to a 4-2 lead, Alcaraz looked to finish in style and hit a stunning backhand winner to reach his third match point on Fritz’s serve.

Fritz rightly received the adulation of the crowd for his commentary in the contest, only for the free-flowing Alcaraz to serve the match with love.

Alcaraz added, “It was a difficult match. I felt like I was suffering more than him.”

“I felt really good after the win because of everything I went through physically. I’m really happy I found a way to come back and find his weak spots.”