The Jimmy Connors Group was on full display at the Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday and neither match disappointed the raucous crowds in Turin, Italy.
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti both staged rallies to earn victories in three-set matches that approached the 3-hour mark.
Alcaraz moved to 2-0 with a 6-7 (2), 7-5, 6-3 over Taylor Fritz while Musetti relied on the energy of the crowd to topple Australia’s Alex De Minaur, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.
Fritz and Musetti are both 1-1 and the despondent De Minaur fell to 0-2.
The opening match between Alcaraz and Fritz featured marathon games with the servers fending off numerous break points. Fritz, who defeated the 2025 two-time Grand Slam champion in the Rod Laver Cup in September, prevailed convincingly, 7-2, in the first-set tie-breaker.
The match’s critical game occurred at 2-2 in the second set. The game lasted 21 points and Alcaraz survived two break points to go ahead, 3-2. Leading 6-5, he captured the first three points on Fritz’ serve and earned the break to take the set, 7-5.
Alcaraz took control early in the deciding set, breaking in the sixth game and cruising 6-3 in a match that lasted 2:50.
“I was really relieved after the win because of everything I went through during the match,” Alcaraz said. “I wasn’t feeling the ball as well as I was in the first round, but I’m really happy that I found a way to come back and find weakness from him.”
Alcaraz held a major advantage at the net, winning 23 of 26 points (88.5%) while Fritz, the bigger server with 14 aces, only captured 12 of 30 (40%).
Should Alcaraz defeated a worn-down Musetti on Thursday, he will earn the No. 1 seed at the end of 2025.
“I will try not to think about it,” Alcaraz said. “It’s going to be a really big match for me. I will try not to let the nerves play a bad time in the match. I will think about my goals, about feeling much better than today.”
Musetti, who succumbed quietly to Fritz on Monday, came out blazing a day later, converting his fourth break-point chance in the 11th game of the opening set and holding on to bolt in front, 7-5.
But De Minaur, also noted for his fighting spirit, captured the second set, 6-3, and built a 5-3 lead in the decider. He was two points away from capturing the match, but the Italian won three consecutive points on De Minaur’s serve, held, and won the match on a forehand passing shot to the delight of his team and the partisan fans.
“I was really struggling physically because Alex raised the level and intensity and I was really struggling to find the solution,” Musetti said. “But at the end with a big heart and big passion for this game, I don’t know from where, I started to feel better and play better and the support of the crowd is amazing. I have to thank them all.”
De Minaur, one of the heroes of Team World in the Laver Cup, dropped to 0-5 in the ATP Finals. He was extremely candid about his recent run of tough setbacks.
“I just (need to) win these matches. It’s something that if it doesn’t get sorted, it’s going to eat me alive,” De Minaur said. “I need to get it sorted sooner rather than later. I don’t know how many times I can deal with a loss like this one.”
–Field Level Media
