TURIN, Italy — Alex de Minaur claimed a maiden ATP Finals victory that gave the Australian a chance of making the semifinals on Thursday.
De Minaur beat Taylor Fritz 7-6 (3), 6-3 for his first victory in six matches at the season-ending event for the top eight players, following his debut last year.
“I finally won here in Torino,” De Minaur said.
The seventh-seeded De Minaur needed a straight sets win to stay in contention for a semifinal spot, which he will secure if Carlos Alcaraz beats Lorenzo Musetti in the late match on Thursday.
A win for Alcaraz would also see the Spaniard seal the year-ending No. 1 ranking.
“Whatever happens, happens,” De Minaur added. “But I won’t be paying too much attention to the tennis. I’ll be relaxing and having a nice night here in Torino.”
De Minaur never looked back after dominating the tiebreak and had a chance to seal victory on Fritz’s serve when he moved to match point, but the American held. De Minaur kept his nerve on serve to triumph.
Musetti can reach the semifinals if he beats Alcaraz. The sixth-seeded Fritz, who reached the final in Turin last year, was eliminated.
