The problem came at 2-5 in the first set. During the changeover, Phils called a physical therapist, pointed to his lower back, and walked off the court with a towel around his shoulders for three minutes of treatment. He came back, lost the set 6-2 on Fritz’s serve, then dropped his serve in the second set. In a 2-0 defeat, he told the referee he could not continue. It seemed like a decision made to protect his chances in Paris.
Before the treatment, Phils had lacked energy, cutting rallies as short as possible while the crowd tried to lift him up with chants of “Alleuse Arthur.” The first set was a scrappy affair, with unforced errors piling up from both sides and too few winners to make up for them. Fritz broke three times against Phils once.
For Fritz, the result preserves a longer streak in Turin. The American has 2,885 points in the race, 324 behind Rafael Jodar, who is the eighth and final qualifier, with finals still to be played in Basel and Paris. His tenure win also means Jodhar’s Top 10 debut on Monday is no longer guaranteed; A Phils win would ensure that.
Fritz, ranked 13th, turned 29 on Wednesday. He reaches his first semifinal in Basel and his fourth in five ATP 500 events this season after Dallas, Halle and Washington. The win was his 40th of the season, his fifth straight, and tied the game with the Phils at 1-1. In 2024, the Frenchman won the first match in Tokyo with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
Earlier in the week, Fritz beat lucky loser Rinki Hijikata of Australia 6-4, 7-6 (3) and Canada’s Denis Shapovalov 6-4, 6-3. Phils, 22, advanced 7-6 (5), 7-5 over qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Pericard and American Alex Michelsen 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Vacherot reached the semifinals on Friday afternoon, defeating Holger Ruhn 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.