Carlos Alcaraz saved two match points on his way to beating Taylor Fritz at the Paris Rolex Masters as he moved into the semi-finals.
It was a stunning comeback from Alcaraz who defeated Fritz 6-7(10) 7-5 6-3 to reach the last four in Paris in a dramatic contest.
The match so nearly ended differently as Fritz had two match points to not only make the semi-finals in Paris but also to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.
However, Alcaraz produced some stunning shots under pressure and kept his composure to seal his place in the semi-finals in the French capital.
After the match Alcaraz admitted the feeling is ‘unmatched’ after his epic comeback, “I tried not to let myself down in the difficult moments in the second set,” the Spaniard explained to the ATP website.
“I tried to stay strong mentally and save those break points and match points. I would say 3-5 serving, that game we played incredible tennis. That point [to hold for 4-5] caused the people to stand up and bring the energy into the match. I used the people and the energy and gave them what they really wanted to watch and I am really happy to play for one and a half hours more to entertain them.
“The feeling I have today is unmatched.”
Alcaraz will now face Casper Ruud in the semi-finals after the Norwegian defeated Nuno Borges in straight sets in a match that finished at 1am.
Ahead of the semi-final match Ruud is expecting another tough battle, “We’ve had some tough matches,” Ruud explained.
“He won a majority of them and really taught me a few lessons here and there. Some of my biggest matches of my career, I saw him on the other side of the net. He’s a fantastic guy, great person, funny guy to be around and so good for tennis. It’s always a joy to share the court with him and I’ve been fortunate to be on the winning side once. Let’s see what I can come up with tomorrow.“
Alcaraz leads the head-to-head 6-1 heading into the semi-final showdown while Ben Shelton will face Luca Van Assche in the other semi-final.
Meanwhile, as a result of Alcaraz defeating Fritz we now have the full line-up for the Nitto ATP Finals which started on the 15th of November:
