Alcaraz moves within one win of year-end No 1

TURIN, Italy — Carlos Alcaraz is one win away from securing the year-ending No 1 ranking.

Alcaraz rallied past Taylor Fritz 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-3 on Tuesday at the ATP Finals and now needs to either win his final group match against Lorenzo Musetti or his next match in the semifinals to finish the year as No 1 for the second time in his career.

"I'm trying not to think about it, to be honest," Alcaraz said. "But it's really difficult, not to think about the No 1 spot."

Alcaraz, who improved to 2-0 at the season-ending event for the top eight players, sealed a spot in the semifinals when, later on, Musetti held off Alex de Minaur 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.

If Alcaraz doesn't win another match and Jannik Sinner goes undefeated to defend his title, Sinner will finish No 1.

Alcaraz produced 47 winners to Fritz's 38 and managed to come back from a set down, despite 14 aces from his American opponent.

"It was (a) really, really difficult match," Alcaraz said. "Really demanding physically. It was really tight. I saved (some) really difficult and important moments during the match, which I'm really proud of, and I'm really happy about showing really good tennis when it matters."

Fritz had chances to break Alcaraz's serve early in the second set.

"I just wasn't clinical enough in finishing some really big points," Fritz said.

"The first two sets, I think I did an incredible job serving and returning. I gave myself all the chances I could possibly ask for in the first two sets," Fritz added. "My opportunity to win that match was in the second set, and I didn't take it. I had the chances."

Fritz was bothered by a bout of knee tendinitis in the third set.

"It gets a little bit tough to bend my knee on my serve once we get that late into the match," Fritz said. "My knee is completely cooked."

Alcaraz now tops the Jimmy Connors group ahead of Fritz and Musetti, who are 1-1, while De Minaur trails at 0-2.

Musetti was a late replacement for Novak Djokovic, who withdrew with a shoulder injury.

The top two finishers in each group advance to the semifinals.

Sinner leads his group after beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in his opener on Monday.

'Until the end'

Musetti was the last man to arrive for the ATP Finals and came close to being the first man to exit, but, backed by the Turin crowd, he made a remarkable comeback from the brink to defeat Australian De Minaur on Tuesday.

After celebrating with his team, the victor wrote a message on the television camera, "fino alla fine" — Italian for "until the end" — a slogan used by Juventus, the soccer club Musetti supports, and one that perfectly matches this performance.

"I was really struggling physically, because Alex raised the level and intensity and I was really struggling to find the solution," Musetti said.

"I'm a warrior," he added.

"I have improved a lot on the mental side and I am pushing myself to the limit because I am playing every match against the top players.

"At the end, with a big heart and big passion for this game, I don't know from where, I started to feel better and play better, and the support of the crowd is amazing."

It does not get any easier for Musetti, with the Italian facing Alcaraz on Thursday, where, again, a win is needed to survive against a player who has won both his matches.

One thing is for certain, nobody will be leaving the Inalpi Arena early, now that Musetti has shown what "until the end" really means.

Agencies