Alcaraz survives marathon to end Fritz's ATP Finals hopes

Carlos Alcaraz survived two match points against Taylor Fritz to book a spot in the last four of the Paris Masters and end his opponent's hopes of reaching the ATP Finals.In a lengthy contest that lasted two hours and 43 minutes, the second seed lost an extended first-set tie-break before finishing strong to win 6-7 (10-12), 7-5, 6-3.Had Fritz taken one of his opportunities in the second set, he would have locked down the eighth and last place in the end-of-year championship. Instead, that spot now goes to Alcaraz's fellow Spaniard Rafael Jodar.After being outlasted by Fritz in the opener, Alcaraz had to save match points with and against serve in the second, before levelling the scores with three games in a row. He belatedly took control as he closed out the decider in clinical fashion. Casper Ruud or Nuno Borges await in the semi-finals."I tried not to let myself down in the difficult moments in the second set," Alcaraz said."I tried to stay strong mentally and save those break points and match points. I used the people and the energy and gave them what they really wanted to watch."I am really happy to play for one and a half hours more to entertain them. The feeling I have today is unmatched."