Fritz keeps Turin hopes alive after accidentally hitting ball girl in Paris.

Taylor Fritz kept his Nitto ATP Finals qualification hopes alive on Thursday night at the Rolex Paris Masters.

He beat sixth-seeded Frenchman Arthur Fils 6-3, 6-4 in the third round.

The match lasted one hour and 11 minutes on Court Central at the Accor Arena.

But the scoreline was not the only story.

Early in the first set, Fritz accidentally struck a ball girl in the face with his serve.

The ball girl was standing along the sideline when the ball hit her directly.

She was visibly shaken and burst into tears.

Fils, who was across the net, immediately crossed the court to check on her.

He gently escorted her off the court.

Fritz also checked to see if she was all right, according to reports.

Neither the tournament nor the ATP has issued a public update on her condition as of Friday morning.

The moment paused the match but did not derail Fritz.

He went on to play what he called one of his best matches of the indoor season.

Fritz faced no break points across the entire match.

He won 41 of his 51 service points, including 11 of 12 on his second serve.

He fired 14 aces to Fils's six.

Fritz finished with 29 winners to Fils's 15.

"I was returning really well and serving really well," Fritz said after the match.

"That kind of takes care of itself when I am serving well and playing aggressively."

He added: "It was fast conditions, and it really enabled me when I stepped in and went for the shots."

The victory was Fritz's 100th win at ATP Masters 1000 level.

It was also his tour-leading 13th indoor win of the season.

The win moved Fritz to 3,050 points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.

Two spots remain for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, which begin November 15 in Turin, Italy.

Fritz currently sits in 11th place in the live race.

He is 184 points behind ninth-placed Rafael Jodar.

Had Fils won, American Frances Tiafoe would have qualified for Turin on Thursday night.

Instead, Fritz kept his own path alive.

He would pass Jodar (3,234 points) by reaching the semi-finals.

He would pass Tiafoe (3,390 points) by reaching the final.

Fellow American Tommy Paul, on 2,925 points, is also still in contention but needs to reach the final.

Paul faces Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals in the other half of the draw.

Fritz's quarter-final opponent is second seed Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz advanced without playing after Matteo Berrettini withdrew due to an arm injury.

The Spaniard is a seven-time Grand Slam champion and holds a 6-1 lead in the ATP head-to-head series against Fritz.

Alcaraz is chasing his first semi-final appearance in Paris.

"I am excited for it," Fritz said about facing Alcaraz on Friday.

"Excited for the opportunity. That's why I have gotten to this point in the tournament."

He added: "I knew I was probably gonna have to go through him if I wanted to [have the chance] to make Turin. So, I'm ready to play."

Fils, who had already qualified for Turin before the match, admitted Fritz was simply better.

"No, no injury. He just played better than me," Fils said in his press conference, held in French.

"I wasn't comfortable on court, because he made me uncomfortable."

"He played a very good match and I congratulate him," Fils added.

"It's not as if I played a bad match. He was just stronger than me, he served better and returned better. In the end, it's two breaks, 6-3, 6-4. Not much to say."

The match came a week after Fils retired against Fritz in the Basel quarter-finals, trailing 6-2, 2-0.

Fils had an emotional Wednesday in Paris.

He secured his place at the ATP Finals in the afternoon.

Then he beat Tomas Machac in the evening and signed the camera with "Ici c'est Paris."

By Thursday night, he had less in the tank.

Fritz broke Fils at 3-2 in the first set to take control.

He broke again at 1-1 in the second set and never looked back.

Fils saved two break points in the opening game of the second set to hold.

But Fritz broke through in Fils's next service game.

Fritz rallied from a set down in both of his first two matches in Paris.

This time, he was in control from the start.

Thursday's victory was Fritz's 16th Masters 1000 quarter-final appearance.

It was his second Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season, after Cincinnati.

The American is now into his second Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season.

The quarter-final against Alcaraz is scheduled for Friday.

The winner will face either Luca Van Assche or the winner of another quarter-final in the bottom half of the draw.

Van Assche, who beat Lorenzo Musetti earlier on Thursday, is the last Frenchman left in the singles draw.

Fritz is 29 years old and ranked 11th in the world.

He reached the US Open final in 2024.

He is chasing his first appearance at the ATP Finals since 2022.

The Nitto ATP Finals feature the top eight singles players and doubles teams in the world.

Players earn points throughout the season in the ATP Race To Turin.

The top seven players qualify automatically, with the eighth spot going to a Grand Slam winner ranked between 8th and 20th.

Fritz needs a deep run in Paris to secure his spot.