Alex de Minaur knocks out Taylor Fritz to keep ATP Finals hopes alive
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Australia's Alex de Minaur celebrates winning his ATP Finals group stage match against Taylor Fritz of the US.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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- Alex de Minaur defeated Taylor Fritz 7-6, 6-3 at the ATP Finals, needing Alcaraz to beat Musetti to reach the semi-finals.
- Jannik Sinner defeated Alexander Zverev 6-4, 6-3, securing his place in the semi-finals of the Bjorn Borg group.
- Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz will lead the USA at the United Cup in Australia, while Sinner and Alcaraz will play an exhibition match in South Korea.
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TURIN – Alex de Minaur kept alive his chances of reaching the last four of the ATP Finals on Nov 13 after beating Taylor Fritz 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 in Turin.
Australia’s de Minaur had to win in straight sets in order to have any chance of making it out of the Jimmy Connors Group, and he now needs Carlos Alcaraz to beat Lorenzo Musetti later on Nov 13 in order to book his place in the semi-finals. That match took place after press time.
“I have dealt with a fair bit of heartbreak recently, so it was good to finally get a win here in Turin,” said de Minaur after his first win over a top-10 player in 2025, excluding team events.
“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.”
Should Alcaraz beat local hero Musetti, as he is widely expected to, seventh seed de Minaur will take second place in the group.
Hard-court specialist de Minaur won his 43rd match of the season on the surface, the most on the men’s tour, and was too much for Fritz once he prevailed in the first-set tiebreak.
Defeat for Fritz in 1hr 35min ended the American’s participation in the 2025 edition of the prestigious end-of-season tournament.
Said de Minaur: “I didn’t do much. I didn’t overthink today. I committed to what I needed to do. There were some tough moments out there, but I continued to back myself.
“Whether it worked or didn’t, I was going to leave everything out there today and I ended up with a really good match from the start to the end.”
Alcaraz is now guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals but still needs to beat Musetti to both secure first place in the group and claim the year-end No. 1 ranking for the second time.
If Musetti beats Alcaraz and joins Jannik Sinner in the next round, it will be the first time two Italians have reached the semis in the history of the tournament.
In overnight action on Nov 12, Alexander Zverev was beaten for the fourth time in 2025 by Sinner in a 6-4, 6-3 loss, but the German does not believe the scoreline reflected his performance.
Zverev’s previous loss to Sinner came on Nov 1, going down 6-0, 6-1 at the Paris Masters. In Turin, the two-time winner of the season-ending championships had the majority of break points, but unlike the Italian, he failed to take advantage.
Sinner forced break points in one game in each set, enough to claim victory and a place in the semi-finals, while Zverev had seven across four games.
In the Vienna Open final nearly three weeks ago, Zverev managed to win one set, but this time around the German could not find a way past Sinner’s serve.
“I think generally today, the biggest difference was how he was serving on the break points,” Zverev said.
“I had more break points than him. I felt very good from the baseline, actually better than in Vienna almost, when we were in the rally.
“To be honest, he had two chances to break me and he used both of them. I had a lot of chances and I didn’t use any.”
The result meant Sinner qualified from the Bjorn Borg group with a match to spare.
Quest for revenge
Meanwhile, Coco Gauff and Fritz will spearhead the United States’ title defence at the mixed teams United Cup in Australia, organisers said on Nov 13, with Iga Swiatek leading Poland’s quest for revenge.
World No. 3 Gauff and sixth-ranked Fritz edged out Poland to win the title at the season-opening ATP-WTA event in January, a key lead-up tournament to the Jan 18-Feb 1 Australian Open.
Gauff beat world No. 2 Swiatek in the decider, while Fritz downed Hubert Hurkacz, who is also returning.
Five of the world’s top 10 men and four of the world’s top 10 women are among those signed up for the Jan 2-11 tournament, which will see 18 countries playing in Sydney and Perth.
Each team feature three men and three women, with ties comprising one men’s and one women’s singles and an often decisive mixed doubles.
Australian Open champion Sinner and rival Carlos Alcaraz have opted for an exhibition match in South Korea on Jan 10.
Defending women’s Australian Open champion Madison Keys has signed up for the Adelaide International from Jan 12 to 17, alongside Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Belinda Bencic.
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will start her 2026 campaign at the Brisbane International as she searches for a fifth Grand Slam title. REUTERS, AFP
