Alcaraz saves two match points to beat Fritz and reach Paris semi-finals

Carlos Alcaraz was two points from defeat against Taylor Fritz in Paris. He won 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 and reached his first semi-final at the indoor Masters 1000.

7 Nov 2026, 02:502 min read

Carlos Alcaraz celebrating on court at the indoor Paris Masters after beating Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals. — Image: Ouest-France.fr

Two match points down, Carlos Alcaraz found a way out. On Friday 6 November 2026, the Spaniard came back to beat Taylor Fritz 6-7, 7-5, 6-3 and reach the semi-finals of the Paris Masters for the first time.

What happened?

It took a little over two hours. The first set went to a long tie-break, and both players had three set points. Alcaraz, world number three, finally gave it away with an unforced forehand error.

In the second set, Fritz (world number 12) kept attacking Alcaraz's serve. At 5-3, he had his first match point.

Then came the shot of the tournament. Alcaraz answered a half-volley with a cross-court drop shot, saved the match point and made it 5-4. Fritz could only smile at the shot.

Alcaraz saved a second match point at 5-4, then broke back after an unforced error from the American. Fritz had no first serve left and handed him the set. The third was one-way traffic: Alcaraz, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, needed just one match point to finish it.

Why does it matter?

Paris had not been kind to the 22-year-old from Murcia. Since his debut at this indoor tournament in 2021, he had never gone beyond the quarter-finals. Last year, Jannik Sinner won the title here while Alcaraz went out earlier.

The result also changed the race for the ATP Finals in Turin (15 to 22 November), the season-ending event for the top eight players. Fritz needed to reach the semi-finals to overtake Spain's Rafael Jodar, ninth in the Race (the year's points ranking) and the last qualifier, with Sinner absent through injury. Fritz's defeat means he is out, and Jodar is in.

What's next?

Alcaraz plays on Saturday 7 November. His opponent will be the winner of the other quarter-final between Norway's Casper Ruud (23rd) and Portuguese lucky loser Nuno Borges (49th).

A lucky loser is a player who lost in qualifying but got into the main draw when someone withdrew. For Alcaraz, a title in Paris would tick off another box. A semi-final is already one he had never ticked.

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