World number one Carlos Alcaraz breathed a sigh of relief after clawing back from a set down to narrowly defeat Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals in Turin on Wednesday (November 12).

The victory brings Alcaraz one step closer to securing a spot in the knockout stages and edging nearer to the coveted year-end world number one ranking, ahead of Jannik Sinner.

Fritz, the American sixth seed and 2024 runner-up, pushed Alcaraz to the limit with a two-hour and 48-minute match, but the Spaniard found another level when it mattered most, turning the match around to claim a 6-7 (2-7), 7-5, 6-3 win.

Both players had entered the contest on winning streaks: Alcaraz with a victory over Australia’s Alex de Minaur and Fritz coming off a straight-sets triumph against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti.