Sinner sets up Fritz title decider at ATP Finals

World number one Jannik Sinner will face Taylor Fritz in the ATP Finals title match as he bids to become the first Italian to win the season-ending tournament.

Sinner booked his place in Sunday’s final with a clinical 6-1 6-2 win over Norway’s Casper Ruud in Turin.

That came after a resolute Fritz defeated Alexander Zverev 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-3) – his fourth victory over the German second seed this year alone. He is the first American to reach the final since 2006, when James Blake lost to Roger Federer, while Pete Sampras was the last player from the nation to win the title in 1999.

“I’m very happy with today’s performance, I’m very happy to be in the final,” said Italian Sinner, who lost in last year’s final to Novak Djokovic.

“I’ll just try to play the best I can tomorrow, anything can happen.

“I feel like I have more experience, I’ve grown as a player and hopefully tomorrow is going to be a good day.”

Top seed Sinner has yet to drop a set in Turin as he seeks an impressive end to a year in which he has won his first two Grand Slam titles, but also been embroiled in an ongoing doping controversy.

The 23-year-old controlled proceedings from the very first point against Ruud, who has never taken a set off the Australian Open and US Open champion in three meetings. Sinner broke at the first opportunity, with a powerful forehand that the Norwegian could not return, on his way to a 3-0 lead with just three points lost. Ruud, the 2022 runner-up, slowed the pace with a love hold, but was made to rue two unconverted break points of his own when Sinner broke again before serving out the set with little challenge. Such was the Italian’s dominance, Ruud’s points tally at the end of the opener stood at a lowly 12.

It didn’t get much easier for him in the second set as Sinner broke for a 3-2 lead, before a forehand cross-court winner put him a double break up on Ruud’s next service game. BBC

Source:Daily News