TURIN, Italy — Alex de Minaur scored his first win at the ATP Finals, giving the Australian a chance to advance to the semi-finals on Thursday.
De Minaur defeated Taylor Fritz 7-6 (3), 6-3 in the season finale between the top eight players for his first win in six games since his debut last year.
“We finally won here in Turin,” De Minaur said.
Seventh-seeded de Minaur needs a straight-sets win to remain in contention for a place in the semi-finals, which will be earned if Carlos Alcaraz defeats Lorenzo Musetti in a late match on Thursday.
If Alcaraz wins, the Spaniard will be confirmed as number one in the year-end rankings.
“Whatever happens, happens,” De Minaur added. “But I’m not going to pay too much attention to tennis. I’m going to have a relaxing and fun evening here in Turin.”
De Minaur never looked back after winning the tie-break and had a chance to seal the victory when Fritz’s serve forced him to match point, but the American held on. De Minaur was nervous about his serve as he aimed for victory.
Musetti will advance to the semi-finals if he defeats Alcaraz. Sixth-seeded Fritz, who reached the final in Turin last year, was eliminated.