Carlos Alcaraz struggled in the second round-robin match at the ATP Finals in Turin. World no. 1 faced Taylor Fritz and earned a hard-fought 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 victory in two hours and 48 minutes.
The Spaniard secured a late break in the second set and played well in the decider to emerge at the top. Carlos admitted his struggles and how hard he had to run and hit to prevail.
He liked the way he overcame the issues and performed a comeback after exploring the weaknesses of his opponent. Thus, Alcaraz moved a win away from securing his second year-end no. 1 honor.
Alcaraz denied eight of nine break points, mostly in the opener when he struggled to feel the ball. Fritz played against 11 break points and gave serve away three times to end on the losing side.
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The Spaniard hit 47 winners and 37 unforced errors. He trailed in service winners and from the baseline while erasing the deficit at the net. They fought for 70 minutes in the opener.
The rivals traded breaks in games three and four, and Carlos denied two break points at 3-4 to remain on the positive side. The set went into a tie break, and Fritz outplayed world no. 1.
The American grabbed two mini-breaks and landed an ace at 6-2 for a massive boost. Alcaraz faced the ultimate test in the fifth game of the second set. He denied two break points with winners and held after nearly 15 minutes.
They served well in the upcoming games, and Taylor had a chance to introduce another tie break at 5-6. However, Carlos stepped in and passed him at the net to secure a break at 15 and introduce a decider after two hours and ten minutes.
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World no. 1 served well in the final set and kept the pressure on the other side. He drew Taylor's error in the sixth game for a break and a 4-2 lead. The Spaniard held at 30 in game seven and generated three match points on the return in game eight.
Fritz saved them and held to prolong the battle. Alcaraz left those chances behind at 5-3 and held at love after the rival's loose backhand to emerge at the top and add 200 valuable ATP points to his tally.
"I was running and struggling more than Taylor. I did not serve well in the first set, allowing him to play comfortably from the baseline. I was really relieved when I won because I faced issues during the match, as I did not feel the ball well.
I'm really happy to find a way to make a comeback, find weaknesses in his game and win," Carlos Alcaraz said.
