Carlos Alcaraz hits 50th top 10 win and edges closer to ATP Finals semis

On a chilly Tuesday night under the lights of Inalpi Arena, Carlos Alcaraz didn’t just win a tennis match. He wrote a new line in tennis history.

The 22-year-old Spaniard clawed his way past Taylor Fritz in a gripping, physically draining 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 battle that lasted just shy of three hours at the Nitto ATP Finals.

And while the win pushed him to 2-0 in the round-robin phase, nudging him toward the semifinals, it also unlocked a major career milestone. His 50th victory over a Top 10 opponent.

Fifty wins over the sport’s elite by the age of 22 years and six months. Let that sink in. Alcaraz now stands alongside tennis titans, surpassing the Big Three in this particular footrace.

Nadal hit the mark at 22 years and nine months. Federer and Djokovic were both 23. To find someone younger, you have to rewind the calendar to 1989, when Boris Becker — all brute force and flair — toppled Ivan Lendl in the U.S. Open final at 21 years and nine months.

The names ahead of Alcaraz on that list are few and legendary. Bjorn Borg, Becker, and that’s it. Since the ATP Rankings era began in 1973, only two men reached the 50-win Top 10 mark quicker.

Against Fritz, it didn’t always look like history would be made.

The American came out with intent, flipping the script from their last encounter at Laver Cup and snatching the opening set after erasing an early break deficit.

At 2-2 in the second, Fritz pressed again, holding two break points in a punishing 20-minute game that felt like it might bend the whole match. Alcaraz saved both with gutsy shotmaking and relentless defense, ultimately holding serve and flipping the emotional momentum.

“That game was huge,” Alcaraz said afterward, a mix of sweat and relief still fresh on his face. “I was running more than him, struggling more than him. I didn’t feel the ball the way I wanted, not like the first match. But I found a way.”

What followed was vintage Alcaraz. A break at 6-5 to steal the second, another mid-set break in the third, and a wave of power-packed forehands — 23 of them winners, to be precise — that left Fritz scrambling. He closed it out 6-3, his legs weary but his fire intact.

Statistically, it was a clash of fine margins. Alcaraz tallied 47 winners to 37 unforced errors. Fritz, just as bold, finished with a nearly even 38 winners and 39 errors. But when it mattered, it was Alcaraz who found that extra gear. Often with the crowd roaring him forward.

Beyond the numbers and the battle scars lies an even greater prize on the horizon. Alcaraz is in a tight duel with Italy’s Jannik Sinner for the coveted year-end No. 1 ranking.

With Tuesday’s win, the path is clearer. If Sinner loses even once in Turin, or if Alcaraz defeats Lorenzo Musetti in his next group match, the Spaniard locks it in.

“I’ll try not to think about that too much,” he said with a wry grin. “It’s a big match, yeah, but I want to feel better than I did today. Focus on that first.”