Two match points, then a turnaround
Taylor Fritz had Carlos Alcaraz where he wanted him on Friday night, and let it go. The American won a long first-set tie-break, then broke for 4-3 in the second and held a point to close the match at 5-3 on Alcaraz’s serve. He had another chance on his own serve at 5-4. Neither came off. Alcaraz levelled the match and took the decider, winning 6-7 (10-12), 7-5, 6-3 in the Paris Masters quarter-finals.
For Fritz, the stakes went well beyond a semi-final. A win would have sent him to the ATP Finals in Turin at the expense of Rafael Jodar. Instead the 29-year-old lost for the seventh time in eight meetings with Alcaraz, and the Spaniard’s compatriot claimed the eighth and final place.
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The Turin field is now complete
Jodar joins Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, Arthur Fils, Flavio Cobolli and Frances Tiafoe, who clinched his spot earlier in the day when Shelton beat Tommy Paul 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Paul’s defeat ended his own qualification hopes. Jodar will make his ATP Finals debut from November 15 to 22. Home support in Italy now rests on Cobolli, with Jannik Sinner out since Wimbledon because of a knee problem.
Alcaraz said afterwards that he tried to stay strong mentally in the tight moments and called the match incredible tennis from both players.
Semi-final line-up in Paris
Alcaraz plays Casper Ruud next, after the Norwegian beat Nuno Borges 7-6 (5), 6-4. In the other half, Shelton meets home favourite Luca Van Assche, who edged Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-5. An Alcaraz-Shelton final would repeat their US Open quarter-final, which Shelton won in a deciding tie-break.
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