Alex de Minaur made one last push at the ATP Finals in Turin. The Aussie faced Taylor Fritz in the final round-robin match and earned a notable 7-6, 6-3 triumph in an hour and 34 minutes.
Alex secured his first top-10 victory after 16 straight losses against the rivals from the top, if we exclude the Laver Cup. More importantly, he still has a chance to qualify for the semi-final.
De Minaur's win pushed Carlos Alcaraz into the semi-final, and the Aussie will now cheer for the Spaniard against Lorenzo Musetti in the final match in their group.
Alex provided rock-solid tennis behind the first serve against Taylor, losing serve once from the only chance offered to his rival and responding with two return games on his tally from four opportunities.
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De Minaur landed 24 winners and28 unforced errors, with Fritz standing on a17-33 ratio. They stayed neck and neck in service winners and from the baseline, and Alex made the difference with a flawless performance at the net.
They battled for nearly an hour in the opener. The Aussie secured a break in the third game of the duel, and the American responded with a return game at 2-3 to erase the deficit.
Taylor saved a break point in the 11th game and survived to reach a tie break. De Minaur served well and provided two mini-breaks for7-3 and a massive boost. He served well in the second set and kept the pressure on the other side.
Alex secured a break at love in the second game and maintained the advantage. Fritz saved a matchpoint in the eighth game and extended the battle. However, de Minaur held in game nine to seal the deal and keep his chances of reaching the semi-final alive.
