World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain wrapped up a 3-0 group-stage showing and will be joined in the semifinal round of the Nitto ATP Finals by seventh-seeded Alex de Minaur of Australia.
Alcaraz swept past Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday in Turin, Italy, shortly after de Minaur earned his first and only win of Jimmy Connors Group play in a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory over Taylor Fritz.
Alcaraz’s win not only ensured he’d advance to the final four of the season finale, but also locked up the year-end No. 1 world ranking with no way for Italian challenge Jannik Sinner to overtake him now.
“The match was really important for me, playing for Year-End No. 1,” Alcaraz said. “It wasn’t easy at the beginning with the nerves. I tried to handle that pressure the best I could, so I’m just really happy with the level I played and to be able to end the year as the No. 1.”
Alcaraz lost only six points on his first serve (winning 30 of 36) while earning nearly half the points on Musetti’s first serve (17 of 36) in a dominant effort.
“It was a really important goal to end the year as the No. 1, but this tournament is really important for me,” said Alcaraz, who’s yet to win the ATP Finals. “… Part of the job is done, but I’m excited to keep going.”
It was a letdown for Musetti, who on Tuesday defeated de Minaur to position himself nicely for the final day of the round robin.
Had Musetti toppled Alcaraz, he would have finished the group stage 2-1 and earned his spot in the semifinals. Instead, it created a three-way tie with de Minaur and Fritz; de Minaur and Fritz both finished with 3-4 set records, compared to Musetti’s 2-5, and de Minaur edged Fritz in% of games won (48.68% to 48%).
“I have dealt with a fair bit of heartbreak recently, so it was good to finally get a win here in Turin,” de Minaur said after his match but before his fate was known. “I have worked really hard so it was good to get some positive feedback or a positive reward for the hard work, so I am very happy with the performance.”
He was up against Fritz, a finalist in Turin last year, and took control during the first-set tiebreaker when he raced out to a 6-1 lead. He went up a break early in the second set and cruised from there.
Fritz had fewer winners (24-17) and more unforced errors (33-28) as he headed to elimination.
Now, de Minaur is locked in to face Sinner, who’s already clinched the top spot in the Bjorn Borg Group with one match to go. Alcaraz will face whomever finishes second in the Bjorn Borg Group on Friday — either Germany’s Alexander Zverev or Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime.
–Field Level Media
