Alcaraz saves two match points vs Fritz and sends Jódar to Turin

Carlos Alcaraz was two points from defeat on Friday night at the Rolex Paris Masters. He came out of it with a semi-final place, and the result also settled the last spot at the Nitto ATP Finals. The Spaniard beat Taylor Fritz 6-7(10), 7-5, 6-3 in two hours and 45 minutes. That ended the American's bid for Turin and sent compatriot Rafael Jódar to the season finale for the first time.

Back from the brink at 3-5

Fritz looked set to qualify. He took a tight opening set on a 12-10 tie-break and broke to lead 5-3 in the second, which brought him two match points. Alcaraz saved the first with a forehand that went back behind the American. On the second, with Fritz serving, he hit a passing winner. From there the No. 3 seed won the second set 7-5 and pulled away in the decider.

"I tried not to let myself down in the difficult moments in the second set," Alcaraz said, according to the ATP. "I tried to stay strong mentally and save those break points and match points."

The win was Alcaraz's seventh in a row and improved his record against Fritz to 7-1. It also gave him his third ATP Masters 1000 semi-final of 2026. On Saturday he plays Casper Ruud, who ended lucky loser Nuno Borges's run 7-6(5), 6-4. Alcaraz leads that head-to-head 6-1.

Fritz's Turin hopes over

Before the match, the ATP had laid out the scenario: a Fritz win would take him to Turin, and an Alcaraz win would put Jódar in. Fritz came to the quarter-final in good form after wins over Benjamin Bonzi, Alex Molcan and Arthur Fils. He was chasing a fourth Finals appearance, having reached the title match in 2024. Instead he finishes the Race in 11th place with 3,050 points, behind Alex de Minaur (3,170). Both will only travel to Turin as alternates if a qualified player withdraws.

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Jódar makes history

Jódar ends the Race on 3,234 points and becomes the first man to reach the Nitto ATP Finals in the year of his tour-level debut. The 20-year-old began 2026 ranked No. 168. Tennis Majors notes that the previous benchmark for such a rise belonged to Mariano Puerta, who started 2005 at No. 133. A year ago Jódar was a college player at the University of Virginia. He played at the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals, and had been a practice partner at the 2024 edition. The ATP says he is the first player since Alcaraz in 2021-22 to go from the Next Gen event to the Nitto ATP Finals the following year.

With Alcaraz and Jódar both in the field, two Spaniards have qualified directly for the first time since Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer in 2015. The eight-man line-up is Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Jódar. Jannik Sinner finished second in the Race but is out for the rest of the season with knee inflammation. Cobolli, Fils, Tiafoe and Jódar will all be making their debuts, and Jódar and Shelton make it two former college players in the field for the first time since 2018.

The Finals run from November 15 to 22 at Turin's Inalpi Arena. The draw for the John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl groups is scheduled for November 12.