Alcaraz Saves Two Match Points to Beat Fritz in Paris
Carlos Alcaraz saved two match points to beat Taylor Fritz 6-7 (10), 7-5, 6-3 and reach the semi-finals of the Paris Masters for the first time. The world number two fought back from the brink of defeat on Friday night in Paris, winning a two-hour-43-minute battle on Court Central and ending the American’s hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals.
Fritz, the world number 12, was one game away from victory when he led 5-3 in the second set and served for a place in the last four. Alcaraz saved one match point on his own serve and another on Fritz’s serve, broke back to level at 5-5, and then took control of the match. He raced into a 4-1 lead in the deciding set before closing out the win on his first match point with a serve and a signature forehand.
A first set Fritz nearly stole
The opening set went to a long tie-break that Fritz won 12-10 after Alcaraz wasted three set points. The American then broke early in the second set and held his nerve to reach 5-3, saving a break point along the way. At that stage he was a single game from his second win in eight meetings with Alcaraz and from a semi-final spot that would have secured his place at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Alcaraz later said the match reminded him of the 2025 French Open final, where he also came back from the edge of defeat. Once he told himself it was just a game, he began to smile, play with the Paris crowd behind him and produce his best tennis. He saved ten of the twelve break points he faced in the match, including the two decisive match points, and won only two more points than Fritz overall.
Fritz’s ATP Finals dream ends
The defeat had consequences far beyond Paris. Fritz entered the quarter-final knowing that a win would take him to the ATP Finals, which run from November 15 to 22 in Turin. His loss means the last qualifying spot now goes to Spain’s Rafael Jodar, Alcaraz’s young compatriot. Fritz leaves Paris 11th in the live race and will not return to the season-ending event.
Alcaraz, who had already qualified for Turin, has still never won the ATP Finals in three previous attempts. He will now face the winner of the quarter-final between Casper Ruud and Nuno Borges in the semi-final on Saturday. Paris has been one of his least successful stops — he had never gone beyond the quarter-finals there before this week — and this comeback keeps his title hopes alive at the Masters 1000 event.
Shelton also through to the last four
In the other half of the draw, third seed Ben Shelton battled past fellow American Tommy Paul 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals, where he will face France’s Luca van Assche. Van Assche beat Australian qualifier Rinky Hijikata 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-5 in his quarter-final. The Paris Masters final takes place on Sunday.
Alcaraz’s win continues a remarkable season for the 23-year-old Spaniard, who remains in the hunt for another big title before the season ends in Turin. For Fritz, it was a painful near-miss — two match points in hand, a semi-final in sight, and a place at the ATP Finals waiting — and he will have to wait another year for a return to the season-ending championship.
Related reading: Pakistan’s young cricketers are also making headlines this week — read about the Under-19 team’s big win at https://ntmnews.online/?p=3924 — and the youngest Formula 1 champion’s record season at https://ntmnews.online/?p=3276
Source: Channel News Asia, November 6, 2026; Tennis Majors, November 6, 2026.