Carlos Alcaraz is into his first-ever Paris Masters semifinal after a sensational comeback win over Taylor Fritz.

Alcaraz beat Fritz 6-7(10-12), 7-5, 6-3 after two hours and 43 minutes in the French capital, where the crowd were often left with no choice but to stand and applaud the tennis on show. In the end, it was the Spaniard who triumphed in an epic battle with the American.

The Spanish superstar now meets Casper Ruud in the semifinals of the Paris Masters, after the latter defeated lucky loser Nuno Borges 7-6(7-5), 6-4. But the Norwegian ace will likely be up against it from the very start against Alcaraz after his inspired comeback against Fritz, and indeed by the fact that he has just set a new all-time tennis record.

Give us one bold prediction for the final months of the 2026 tennis season!

Carlos Alcaraz sets tennis record after beating Taylor Fritz

As per OptaAce, at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, Alcaraz now holds a career win rate of 33-11 against ATP Masters 1000 champions. Translating to 75%, it represents the best win rate since the format’s introduction in 1990, for players with a minimum of 10 matches.

His brilliant record is ahead of Novak Djokovic (70.5%) in second, Andre Agassi (69.4%) in third, Rafael Nadal (68.3%) in fourth, and current rival Jannik Sinner (68.2%) in fifth.

Moreover, Alcaraz has now extended his head-to-head record with Fritz to 7-1 after their epic Paris clash. The American claimed his only Masters 1000 title to date on home soil at Indian Wells in 2022. He blew two match points in their latest clash, but remained as classy as ever post-match with a warm embrace of his opponent.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Casper Ruud H2H ahead of Paris Masters clash

Alcaraz will be delighted by his comeback and the outcome against Fritz, but he has very little time to celebrate. He faces Ruud on Saturday evening in Paris, with the final taking place on Sunday should he make it.

But just like it was against Fritz, his head-to-head record with the Norwegian is very one-sided in his favour. The ATP duo have met seven times throughout their careers, with Alcaraz winning on six occasions.

However, Ruud has it even tougher with the scheduling, having finished his encounter with Borges after Alcaraz knocked out Fritz. It’s a very quick turnaround at the tournament, although they will at least take part in Saturday’s later session.

Before their clash, home favourite Luca Van Assche will look to continue his dream run with a major upset against Ben Shelton. In stark contrast to their ATP counterparts still in the French capital, they will play each other for the first time in their careers.