Carlos Alcaraz had just pulled off one of his toughest wins of the season, but the first thing he did after beating Taylor Fritz was apologize to his opponent. The Spaniard knew what the result meant for the American. Fritz had come within a point of reaching the Paris Masters semi-finals and securing his place at the ATP Finals in Turin. But Alcaraz eventually turned the match around, saving two match points as he beat Fritz 6-7(10) 7-5 6-3.
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“I’m sorry, man. I’m so sorry,” Alcaraz told Fritz as they met at the net. The American, too, showed no frustration toward the player who had just dashed his hopes. Instead, he replied, “Nah, you were too good.”
Alcaraz then continued the exchange, telling Fritz, “It was a great match. Thank you, man.” The moment was picked up by courtside cameras, and commentator Adam Fielder also noted the exchange. “Alcaraz actually apologising to the American there,” Fielder said.
Considering that Alcaraz’s win also confirmed countryman Rafael Jodar as the eighth and final player to qualify for the season-ending event, Fielder added: “And his countryman, Rafael Jodar, needs to buy him a drink, I think, because we will be seeing Jodar in Turin in just over a week’s time.”
That said, Alcaraz’s apology made sense given what had happened in the past two hours and 43 minutes. Fritz entered the quarterfinal knowing that a victory would secure his place at the season-ending ATP Finals. And he looked close to achieving that goal. But Alcaraz refused to let the match slip away, even after the American had two opportunities to finish it.
Fritz claimed the opening set 7-6, winning a tense tiebreak 12-10. Then, even during the second set, it appeared as if Alcaraz might be on his way out. But down 6-7(10), 3-5, the 23-year-old first saved a match point on his own serve. He then produced one of the points of the year to hold serve and make it 4-5.
With his hopes still alive, the second seed faced another match point while Fritz was serving. Alcaraz answered with a powerful crosscourt forehand passing shot to break back and draw level at 5-5. He went on to take the next two games, pushing the contest into a deciding set.
As the match reached its decisive stage, the former World No. 1 raised his level and brought greater intensity to his game. Fritz, meanwhile, struggled to maintain the standard he had set earlier in the contest. The result eventually secured Alcaraz his first-ever place in the Paris Masters semifinals. It also marked his seventh career victory after saving match points. He let out his excitement later. “Semis you feel really goooooood. Love you Paris,” Alcaraz wrote on the camera lens. He was already assured of his place in Turin, so he had no qualification pressure of his own.
However, the consequences for Fritz were much harder to take. A win would have sent him to the Nitto ATP Finals for the fourth time in his career. Instead, the American leaves Paris sitting 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. And Alcaraz now holds a 7-1 lead over Fritz in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Not to forget that he came this close after having battled knee issues.
There is a financial sting, too. Fritz has missed out on a potential $338,000 participation fee at the Finals, provided he played all three round-robin matches, and the chance to earn as much as $5.171 million as an undefeated champion in Turin.
Earlier this year, he had also missed out on an opportunity to win a Grand Slam title, with Francisco Cerúndolo pulling out an upset in the third round of the U.S. Open. He had won the first two sets in 94 minutes, but things shifted suddenly, and Cerúndolo climbed back to win 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in three hours and 40 minutes. The story, from the outside, was the same. He came agonisingly close, only to watch his chances slip away despite being the most accomplished hard-court player remaining in his quarter of the draw.
Alcaraz explains his comeback as Fritz shares his heartbreak
Alcaraz admitted that nerves affected his performance, particularly during the opening set. He also felt that he made poor decisions in the tiebreak after creating chances to take it.
“I have to figure out what happened at the beginning, why I played so nervous,” he said. The Spaniard later explained that he began to relax after saving the first match point and started enjoying the match.
“I started to smile, I started to bring the energy from the people to the match,” Alcaraz added. He credited the Paris crowd’s support for helping him through the difficult moments and said the comeback would remain one of the most memorable victories of his career.
Fritz, meanwhile, shared his disappointment in an Instagram post after the match. “This one hurts more than I can put into words. So much on the line, and so close. Left everything I had out there and wanted this more than anything,” he wrote.
The American also made clear that he intends to work on his game after the loss. He said he was still processing the result but knew there was plenty of work to do now that he was healthy enough to train.