It will be a showdown between the winners of the opening two players in Jimmy Connors in the group when Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz collide in the Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday afternoon.
These familiar foes have already faced each other three times during the 2025 campaign, including this fall twice. Fritz won 6-3, 6-2 in the Laver Cup before Alcaraz scored a 6-4, 6-5 victory in the Tokyo Final. World No. 1 leads the overall head-to-head series 4-1, having also taken straight wins in the 2023 Miami Masters and the 2024 Laver Cup.
Tuesday’s game should be good. Fritz is clearly a formidable underdog, but he was dominant in a 6-3, 6-5 rout of Lorenzo Musetti on Monday. The sixth American detective was well rested entering Turin and – even without days – remains so after sweeping Mumetti without much trouble.
ALCARAZ closes at End-End Now No. 1 position after defeating Alex de Minaur 7-6 (5), 6-2 on Sunday. A few more victories to match any time of the week (or if Jannik Soni wins the title, of course) will be enough for the 22-year-old. Finally, he wants to lift the trophy – the trophy that took him to his first trip to the Nitto ATP Finals.
This is a winning game for Fritz. The surface pleases him, he finished the runner-up last year in Turin, and his head to Alcaraz history is very competitive.
Unfortunately for the underdog, his only advantage against Alcaraz comes in backhand-to-backhand displays. If the top seed hits back or anything like it did against De Minaur, Fritz—and everyone else on the field except for the sinner—will have a tough time pulling off an upset.
Select: Alcaraz in 3
