Almost a full month ago now, Taylor Fritz had just captured his most significant win of the year. Before eventually winning Team World's final match to secure the Laver Cup championship, Fritz had finally overcome the man he could never beat: Carlos Alcaraz.
Not only did he defeat Alcaraz, but Fritz achieved it in epic fashion by winning in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. Prior to that day, Fritz had had immense trouble against the Spaniard, but on September 20th, the day belonged to the American.
It breathed new life into the hope that Fritz could come out on top against the best of the best, leading to an increase in hopes of winning a Grand Slam that, these days, always seems to showcase Alcaraz. The hype around Fritz was fair, but fast forward a month later, and that hype has maybe dimmed a little. Fritz has reverted to being unable to defeat Alacaraz, once again.
Taylor Fritz drops two consecutive matches to Alcaraz
Now, to be fair, the Six Kings Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is merely an exhibition event, and since it is not an ATP-sanctioned event, it holds no bearing on player rankings or points. So, in Fritz's defense, his latest loss to Alcaraz at the event won't affect him in any way, as it stands on tour.
That said, while it may not affect his place in the rankings, psychologically speaking, it should rattle him a bit. This is now the second consecutive loss to Alcaraz in three weeks, when Fritz dropped his finals match against Alcaraz in the Japan Open in straight sets. Just a week prior to their meetup in Japan, Fritz had downed Alcaraz at the Laver Cup.
While observers and tennis fans likely felt the bridge between Alcaraz and Fritz was closing, Fritz also felt this way and admitted as much following the semifinal loss in Riyadh.
“The three previous times we played each other, it felt like the gap was closing,” said Fritz in a media session. “Tonight, it did not feel like that. It didn’t feel close tonight like it has the last couple of times we played. I mean, he played very well. I think the conditions played a part in it as well. I felt really slow on the court today. I was having a hard time just moving, and it just felt like he could hurt me so easily.
In the big picture, Fritz is drawing closer and closer to the world's top players in Alcaraz and his number one enemy, Jannik Sinner. In fact, of the list of players ranked in the ATP top 10, Fritz may be the lone opponent capable of beating them. No one else seems to be close, or coming close.
Still, another loss to Alcaraz may be a bigger deal considering their history, and the significant upper hand Alcaraz has on Fritz. As the 2025 season draws to a close, Fritz may have one more shot at Alcaraz at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, at the beginning of November.
Providing they run into each other there, of course, the two will clash again. After that, Fritz will focus his attention on 2026 and start all over again. Perhaps that will be the year he fully closes the gap, or better yet, wins his first Grand Slam.