Carlos Alcaraz’s world No 1 hopes could be dashed as he faces his biggest test – Tennis365 predictions

Carlos Alcaraz went into the ATP Finals in Turin with a clear target in his sights as he looks to beat Jannik Sinner to the year-end world No 1 ranking – and now he is set to face his biggest test in that mission.

While the Spaniard has a winning head-to-head record against world No 6 Taylor Fritz, he has been pushed all the way in his last two meetings with the American in their recent meetings.

Fritz beat Alcaraz with a scintillating performance at the Laver Cup in September before Alcaraz got some swift revenge in the final of the ATP 500 event in Tokyo last month.

Now the duo are set to meet again at the ATP Finals in Turin, with the winner set to seal their place in the semi-final of the lucrative end-of-season event.

Here are the Tennis365 predictions ahead of an epic Tuesday of action at the ATP Finals.

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Carlos Alcaraz vs Taylor Fritz
Head-to-head record: Alcaraz leads 4-1

Alcaraz was several steps ahead of Fritz when they faced off in the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Saudi Arabia last month, but Fritz told Tennis365 that he feels he is getting closer to the young Spaniard after hitting form at the back end of this season,

“Whether it is beating somebody or get to a certain point in a tournament, when you do something once, it feels a lot easier to do again and again,” Fritz told Tennis365.

“It definitely helps (to get the win against Alcaraz). I played a great match and it gives me a clear outline, I guess, of what I need to do and what I can do to make it work.

“When I played Carlos at the Laver Cup in the previous year, he played well and just felt like there was nothing I could do. I had no chance.

“This year at the Laver Cup and in the finals in Tokyo, I felt like the level was much closer and I feel like I have got a lot closer.”

Fritz was impressive as he beat Lorenzo Musetti on Monday and while he will be hampered by having to play on back-to back days against an opponent who had Monday without a match, this is likely to be a tight match.

Victory for Alcaraz will move him to within one win of the year-end world No 1 ranking, but defeat against Fritz could derail his plans.

Verdict: Alcaraz to grind out a thrilling win in three sets.

Lorenzo Musetti vs Alex de Minaur
Head-to-head record: Musetti leads 3-1

Musetti looked jaded as he lost against Fritz on Monday, but the challenges he had qualifying the day before the ATP Finals were always likely to be his biggest challenge in Turin.

Novak Djokovic’s decision not to announce his withdrawal from the ATP Finals until last Saturday might forced Musetti to play an extra tournament in Athens and now he is playing two days in succession, which has to hand De Minaur an advantage in this clash.

Musetti’s head-to-ehad advantage in this match has been boosted by two wins on his favoured clay courts and this clash against the relentless De Minaur may be a step too far.

Verdict: De Minaur’s better physical condition will help him to secure a win.