Dominant hometown favourite and world number one, Jannik Sinner, decisively defeated Norway’s Casper Ruud to arrange an ATP Finals showdown with Taylor Fritz on Saturday. Sinner was in impeccable form, overcoming Ruud 6-1, 6-2 during the evening at a crowded Inalpi Arena, positioning himself as the frontrunner to become Italy’s inaugural victor of this prestigious year-end event.
The second semi-final offered a stark contrast to the earlier clash where Fritz and world number two Alexander Zverev engaged in a fierce battle, with the American triumphing 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3). Fritz is the first American to reach the final since James Blake in 2006 and aims to be the first American to claim the title since Pete Sampras achieved it in 1999.
Sinner’s remarkable season has been somewhat overshadowed by a doping scandal, yet on the court, he is concluding the year with unstoppable momentum, having secured victory in 25 of his last 26 encounters. At 23 years old, he demonstrated exceptional sharpness against Ruud, taking full control after breaking serve in the second game. He has advanced to the final without losing a single set.
“I elevated my game and was focused with every stroke,” remarked Sinner, who overcame Fritz in both the U.S. Open final and the group stage in Turin, while speaking on court. “It’s reminiscent of last year’s situation. I’ll aim to perform at my best tomorrow and hopefully it will be a favourable day.” Last year, Sinner was defeated by Novak Djokovic in the final after having previously triumphed over him in a group match. “I’ve developed significantly as a player,” Sinner continued, having hit 23 winners in a dominant display. Zverev, who clinched the Paris Masters prior to Turin, appeared to be the primary obstacle to Sinner’s aspirations for the title. The 27-year-old German, twice victorious at the season finale, had not anticipated an inspired performance from Fritz. Fritz had emerged victorious in their previous three encounters against Zverev and described his display as a “perfect first set” to take the lead. Zverev responded, however, forcing a deciding set and creating several opportunities to secure victory.
Fritz surged ahead in the tiebreak and maintained his composure, sealing the victory with a powerful forehand winner. “I found myself in challenging situations in the third set; both of us started to put more pressure on each other’s serve,” said Fritz, who is set to finish the year ranked as world number four. “I reminded myself not to give him any opportunities from the baseline.” Zverev couldn’t replicate his group phase performance but still appeared to be the frontrunner in a third set dominated by long baseline rallies. Fritz faced significant danger on his serve at 2-2 when errors threatened to be costly, yet he managed to hold serve from 0-40 down. At 3-4, Zverev found himself in trouble, falling behind 15-40, but he fought off the break points and overcame another challenge following a double fault to remain on par. Throughout this gripping contest, Fritz matched Zverev’s baseline play and demonstrated considerable determination towards the conclusion. Once he reached the tiebreak, the momentum shifted in his favour as his opponent began to tire.
“I’ve been competing against the leading players at major tournaments quite often recently,” remarked Fritz, who was defeated by Sinner in the U.S. Open final. “I’m starting to feel more at ease and confident during those crucial times.” In the doubles category, the top seeds Marcelo Arevalo from El Salvador and Mate Pavic from Croatia overcame seventh seeds Harri Heliovaara from Finland and Henry Patten from Britain with scores of 7-6(1) 7-6(4), advancing to a final match against the German pair Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz. Krawietz and Puetz managed to save a match point, securing their victory over Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson with scores of 2-6 6-3 11-9.
