Fritz beats Fils in Paris, keeps Turin bid alive ahead of Alcaraz test

Taylor Fritz is still in the race for Turin. The American beat sixth seed Arthur Fils 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 11 minutes on Thursday night to reach the quarter-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters. He did not face a single break point. Next comes the toughest assignment left in the draw: second seed Carlos Alcaraz.

A clinical night on serve

Fritz controlled the match from the start. He hit 14 aces, won 41 of his 51 service points and gave Fils no way into his service games. According to the ATP, the win was his 100th at Masters 1000 level and his Tour-leading 13th indoor victory of the season.

"I was returning really well and serving really well," Fritz said. "That kind of takes care of itself when I am serving well and playing aggressively."

It was the second time in two weeks the pair had met. In the Basel quarter-finals, Fils retired with lower back discomfort while trailing Fritz 6-2, 2-0, three days before Paris began. This time the Frenchman finished the match but had few answers. He had secured his ATP Finals place on Wednesday, when Quentin Halys saved four match points to beat Frances Tiafoe, and on Thursday he looked short of energy. He made no excuses. "He just played better than me," Fils said, as quoted by Tennis Majors. "He was just stronger than me, he served better and returned better."

What Fritz needs for Turin

The win keeps Fritz's ATP Finals hopes alive, but the maths are still against him. He is 11th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, and the ATP says he is 184 points behind ninth-placed Rafael Jódar. Tennis Majors reports that Fritz, on 3,050 points, needs to reach the semi-finals to pass Jódar's 3,234. Reaching the final would also take him past Tiafoe, who has 3,390.

That puts Alcaraz in the way. The Spaniard leads their head-to-head 6-1, and he is fresh after getting a walkover when Matteo Berrettini withdrew with arm pain. "I'm excited for the opportunity," Fritz said. "I knew I was probably gonna have to go through him if I wanted to make Turin."

Ruud beats Jódar in Paris as Cobolli seals ATP Finals debut

If Alcaraz wins, Tennis365 expects Jódar and Tiafoe to be the clear favourites for the final places. Tommy Paul, who beat Halys 7-6, 6-4, is also still alive in the race on 2,925 points but would need to reach the final.

Ruud and record-breaker Borges complete the line-up

Elsewhere on Thursday, Casper Ruud beat Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-3 in 63 minutes to reach his first Paris quarter-final since 2021. Lucky loser Nuno Borges beat Peru's Ignacio Buse 6-0, 6-2. According to the ATP, Borges is the first lucky loser in the tournament's history to reach the quarter-finals.

The two of them meet in the last match on Court Central on Friday. Before that, Fritz and Alcaraz headline the evening session, starting at 7 p.m.