Carlos Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz played out one of the best matches of the year in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters.

Fritz was a set and a break up against the Spaniard and even had match points, but Alcaraz forced his way back into the match and won in three sets.

The 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 victory for Alcaraz set up a semifinal contest against Casper Ruud at the Paris Masters, while Fritz was confirmed to miss out on the ATP Finals at the end of the year.

The quality and entertainment was at an all-time high in the French capital and both men were willed on by a raucous Paris crowd throughout.

The pair shared a huge amount of respect after the match, which was picked up by Tennis TV.

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The Spaniard apologised to Fritz after they match as they shared an embrace at the net, stating: “I’m sorry man. I’m so sorry.”

Fritz responded with a classy message of his own, celebrating Alcaraz’s peformance in the quarterfinal match-up. “Nah you were too good,” Fritz told his opponent.

“”I’m sorry,” said Alcaraz as he continued to apologise for yet another escape act in Paris.

“Good luck,” responded Fritz, before adding: “It was a great match.”

“Thank you man,” came back Alcaraz. “Thank you.”

It was a brilliant moment of respect between the two stars who left it all out on the court, but it was hard not to feel for Fritz after the defeat.

He played superbly and he arguably deserved to run out as a straight sets victor before Alcaraz pulled off the unthinkable.

The defeat for Fritz continues his terrible record against the Spaniard.

He’s won just one of his eight matches against Alcaraz, which came at the Laver Cup. That includes a defeat at Wimbledon and the ATP Finals, as well as at two Masters events following his defeat in Paris.

As a result of his defeat at the hands of Alcaraz, Rafael Jodar has been confirmed to take the final place at the ATP Finals instead of Fritz.

The American has played the year-end tournament in three out of four years, so he will be a major miss at the ATP Finals this year.

There will be two other Americans at the Turin tournament, however, as Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe have finished inside the top eight in 2026.

The ATP Finals is set to take place between the 15th and 22nd November and the likes of Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Flavio Cobolli will also be competing in Turin.