Alex de Minaur kept his ATP Finals semifinal aspirations alive on Thursday after defeating Taylor Fritz 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 in Turin. The Australian needed a straight-sets victory to remain in contention from the Jimmy Connors Group and now depends on Carlos Alcaraz beating Lorenzo Musetti later in the day to secure a semifinal berth.
If Alcaraz overcomes local favorite Musetti, as expected, De Minaur would claim second place in the group and advance to the last four. The seventh-seeded Australian showcased his hard-court prowess, recording his 43rd win of the season on the surface—the most on the men’s tour—while dominating Fritz after prevailing in a crucial first-set tie-break.
Fritz’s defeat, which came after an hour and 35 minutes, ended the American’s campaign at this year’s prestigious season-ending tournament. Meanwhile, Alcaraz has already guaranteed a place in the semifinals but still requires a win against Musetti to secure the top spot in the group and reclaim the year-end No. 1 ranking for the second time.
A Musetti victory over Alcaraz would create a historic scenario, sending two Italians—Musetti and Jannik Sinner—into the semifinals for the first time in the tournament’s history.
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