ATP finals in tennis
After a show of strength: Alcaraz beats Fritz in the ATP Finals
Along with Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz is considered the main favorite to win the ATP crown in the final tournament. But in the second group match, the Spaniard had difficulty against strong player Taylor Fritz.
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz prevented his first defeat in the second group match of the ATP Finals with a show of strength. The 22-year-old won in Turin against American Taylor Fritz 6:7 (2:7), 7:5, 6:3 and had to overcome some difficult situations in between. Only after 2:48 hours did Alcaraz complete his hard-fought victory.
With a 2-0 record, the six-time Grand Slam tournament champion has the best chance of advancing to the semifinals of this prestigious tournament. At the end of the group he will face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, who beat Australia’s Alex de Minaur 7:5, 3:6, 7:5 in the evening.
The six-time Grand Slam tournament winner said he had to fight harder and “didn’t feel the ball as well as in his opening win against de Minaur. For him it was already his 50th win in his 73rd match against a top ten player. Only tennis icons Jimmy Connors (69) and Boris Becker (71) have needed fewer games to reach this milestone since 1973.
For Alcaraz, the prestigious tournament for player of the year at the Inalpi Arena is also about whether he or his long-term Italian rival Jannik Sinner ends the tennis year as number 1. A win in the final group match against Musetti was enough.
dpa
