A wave of relief washed over Alex de Minaur in Turin as he sealed a decisive 7-6(3), 6-3 victory over Taylor Fritz at the Nitto ATP Finals, a win that not only delivered his first-ever triumph at the prestigious year-end event but also kept his faint hopes of a semi-final berth alive. In an impressive, attacking display, the Australian dominated a nervy Fritz, who struggled throughout the one-hour, 35-minute clash, committing 33 unforced errors.

Despite this critical win, de Minaur’s future in the tournament immediately hinged on a result beyond his control. His straight-sets victory over Fritz left him with a 1-2 record in the Jimmy Connors Group, and his only path to the semi-finals required World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz to defeat Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the group’s final round-robin ma

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