Will Taylor Fritz make it into the semis in Turin? Perhaps, but Fritz has to beat Alex de Minaur, who has lost twice.
The Aussie has never come to play at the ATP Finals until now. So he wants to show the fans that he is really good. If so, he has to play terrific, and if he does not do it, then Fritz, will beat him, somewhat easily. Fritz beat Daniil Medvedev in the first match, and the Russian was very angry, smashing his racket. However, the former US Open champion recovered, and he beat de Minaur 6-2, 6-4, and he was pretty clean.
With that, he turned off all the noise, and he was very focused. But this time, he has to do it again, even more, because he has to face versus the No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is winning all the time. He also took down with Fritz, and it was somewhat close, but the Italian served certainly better, and he also hit his forehand very deep, and true. He will likely play at the semis, but maybe Sinner wants to win it again, three in a row. He has had a fascinating year, but he has to be strong, each day.
After he loses, Fritz was a little bit irritable, because he missed a few key points, but if he can continue to improve, then maybe he can win either at the ATP Finals, or the Grand Slam, next year.
Medvedev will have to play amazing to win against Sinner on Thursday. He might take it, but when he can lock in early, then he will have a legitimate change, with some long rallies, and deep, too.
Carlos Alcaraz was slow in the first match as he was sick, but he recovered, and on Wednesday, he beat Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(8), which was pretty close. He was more stylistic, and at the net, too. There were some long rallies, crosscourt, and down the line, but at the end, he edged him. Now, he has to beat Alexander Zverev, as the German won two matches, including when he defeated Casper Ruud 7-6(3), 6-3. The Spaniard Alcaraz wants to come into the semis, but to do that, he has to kick past Zverev. “I needed it and it gives me a lot of confidence for Friday, which will be tough. My chances of qualifying are still there, so we’re going to go all out.”
Believe it or not, the 27-year-old Zverev wants to play for another decade, at least. He has won a number of events, but he hasn’t won a Slam. Maybe he will, some day, but at in Turin, he can grab it, again. “I still don’t feel old. I hope I have another solid 10 years ahead of me, but I think it’s a young group of guys,” Zverev. “There has been kind of a shift in tennis this year and I think it’s a good thing. They’re exciting new players [like the 20-year-old Alcaraz] and everybody loves watching them.”