Carlos Alcaraz vs Taylor Fritz Tips, Prediction & Live Stream - Alcaraz backed in a close contest in Turin

Alcaraz is also competing with rival Jannik Sinner for the World No. 1 ranking this tournament and the Spaniard has his destiny in his own hands - simply win two more matches in Turin and he's guaranteed to finish the year on top of the pile. Alcaraz has traditionally struggled on fast, indoor surfaces and he was exposed again in his last tournament when he suffered an opening round loss against Cameron Norrie, while he also had his struggles with Alex de Minaur in his Turin opener.

However, Alcaraz recovered from a sticky situation in the opening set tiebreak (trailing 3-5) to close out the match in straight sets and he will be buoyed by that victory heading into this clash with a player who thrives in these conditions. Fritz hasn't really been at his best for most of the year (save the short grass swing), but the American - who finished runner-up at the ATP Finals last year - eased past Lorenzo Musetti in his opening round robin match and will be confident of doing some damage to Alcaraz in these conditions.

Fritz pushed Alcaraz in an extremely tight four-setter in the Wimbledon semi-finals earlier this season and in quick conditions indoors, I think this match will go down a similar route - including the end result. Fritz' booming serve can earn him cheap holds and points, but Alcaraz is simply the superior player and his indoors game is improving. Backing the World No. 1 in a tight one.

Not counting the Laver Cup, which is a glorified exhibition, Alcaraz leads 3-0 - including a most-recent 6-4 6-4 triumph in the Japan Open final in Tokyo a couple of months ago.

Alcaraz comes into this contest with a stellar 68-8 record on the season and needs two more wins to ensure he finishes the year as the World No. 1.

Since the clay swing earlier in the year, Alcaraz has been virtually unstoppable, making nine consecutive finals from Monte Carlo to Tokyo.

The Spaniard secured two more Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros and the US Open, along with silverware in Monte Carlo, Rome, Queen's Club, Cincinnati and Tokyo.

Alcaraz picked up a minor ankle injury in that Tokyo run and proceeded to pull out of Shanghai, returning for the Paris Masters where he was upset in his opening match by Cameron Norrie.

Hoping to go all the way at the ATP Finals for the first time, Alcaraz got off to a good start with a 7-6 6-2 victory over Alex de Minaur. It was the first time Alcaraz has won his opening round robin match at the season-ending championships, but it wasn't without some patchy moments.

Alcaraz blew a 4-1 lead in the opening set and trailed 3-5 in the ensuing tiebreak before regrouping to snatch the opening before running away with the match in the second.

Fritz launched his campaign in perfect fashion in his opening round robin clash with Lorenzo Musetti, cruising past the fatigued Italian by a 6-3 6-4 score.