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Carlos Alcaraz Nearing Major Tennis Milestone in Turin

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Devang Chauhan | Last updated Nov 13, 2025 6:37 AM ET

World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz moved closer to claiming the year-end No.1 position after his victory against American player Taylor Fritz in the round Robin of the 2025 ATP Finals in Turin on Tuesday. Heading into the prestigious event, the Spaniard was in a close battle with his arch nemesis, Jannik Sinner, in his bid to claim the honor.

The 22-year-old has displayed some outstanding tennis throughout the 2025 season and has captured 8 titles this year, including two Grand Slams at Roland Garros and the US Open.

The six-time Grand Slam champion had to dive deep into his reserves to get the better of the world number 4 and came back from upside down to register yet another victory over Fritz. The American had taken the first set in a tiebreak and was inches away from registering a straight-sets triumph over Alcaraz. Still, the latter raised his level in the final two sets to register a fifth win in six meetings over Fritz.

The win was also significant for Alcaraz in terms of his bid to end the year as No.1, as he needs just one more victory to secure the honor. Ahead of the week, he needed three victories at the event, while the Italian had to go undefeated throughout the event.

By claiming the feat, the Murcia-born native would become only the 11th player in ATP history to end the year at the top more than once, having previously done so in 2022. While Sinner has qualified for the semi-final after his win over Alexander Zverev, he would need Alcaraz to stumble in his next two matches.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates winning his match against Taylor Fritz.© Susan Mullane-Imagn Images

Carlos Alcaraz Reflects on His Bid to End the Year as World No.1

Carlos Alcaraz admitted that it was "difficult" for him not to think about ending the year as World No.1 during his Round Robin match against Taylor Fritz, which he won 6-7, 7-5, 6-3.

In his post-match press conference, the Spanish player reflected on the race against Sinner and said:

"Well, at the beginning, I'm trying not to think about it, to be honest. But it's really difficult, no, not to think about the No. 1 spot. At the beginning of the match, I thought a little bit about it. During the match, there were a lot of things to think about. The No. 1, the thought about the No. 1, was gone. In my mind, I was thinking about how I turn around the match because I had really difficult moments."

"I didn't feel as good as the match against de Minaur, for example. I thought about finding a way just to try to come back or to win the match. The No. 1 thought I didn't think about at all during the match. I was just trying to get the win. Good that I got it. Obviously was a really important step to classify for the semifinal."

Alcaraz remains in a prime position to qualify for the semi-final of the ATP Finals and will play his final Round Robin match against Lorenzo Musetti.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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