De Minaur Beats Fritz for First ATP Finals Win

In Turin, Italy, Australian Alex de Minaur secured his first career victory at the ATP Finals on Thursday, defeating American Taylor Fritz 7-6(3), 6-3 in a round-robin match of the Jimmy Connors Group. The result eliminated Fritz from the season-ending tournament and kept de Minaur's semifinal hopes alive, contingent on the outcome of the evening's clash between Spain's Carlos Alcaraz and Italy's Lorenzo Musetti.

De Minaur, who entered the match with an 0-2 record after losses to Alcaraz and Musetti, delivered an aggressive performance over one hour and 35 minutes. He captured the first set in a tiebreak, capitalizing on Fritz's mounting errors, then broke early in the second set to pull away. Fritz, the sixth seed and 2024 runner-up, committed 33 unforced errors and won fewer points on his first serve than in prior matches, appearing lethargic as de Minaur hustled him across the court. The Australian sealed the win with two aces, including on match point, after fending off a late rally.

The victory boosted de Minaur to a 1-2 record, positioning him to advance as group runner-up if Alcaraz defeats Musetti later at 8:30 p.m. local time. A Musetti win would instead propel the...