Year-end No. 1 in the Rankings, Jannik Sinner edges past world No. 5 Taylor Fritz, producing a thrilling two-set triumph to move forward at the Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday night at the Inalpi Arena in Turin.
Top seed Jannik Sinner delivered a dazzling performance to edge past fifth seed Taylor Fritz with a 6-4, 6-4 win in one hour and 40 minutes on Tuesday night in his bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals last four on home soil.
“It was a very tough match; we got to know each other very well in a Grand Slam final,” the Italian stressed after the match.
Adding: “We knew exactly what to expect today; he was very aggressive, and I was prepared.”
Assessing his performance, Sinner asserted: “I just tried to serve very well in the important moments, which I did. That was a very crucial game in the second set; I was down 0/30. If he breaks me there, the momentum could change.”
A packed Inalpi Arena saw a much-anticipated rematch of their US Open final as the players stepped onto Center Court.
The fast-paced encounter rounded up Ilie Nastase Group’s second round-robin day of action in remarkable fashion.
Sinner made a flawless start to the first set behind his serve, however, first impressions can often be deceiving, and as expected, their matchup would soon turn into a fierce battle for victory.
The players from Ilie Nastase Group went toe-to-toe, displaying their A-game at the season-ending event.
A lengthy seventh game featured the first breakpoint opportunity of the match at the hands of Fritz, a door the Italian quickly shut by fending it off to stay ahead at 4-3.
Then, the No. 1 American racquet raised his level, saving a triple break point to hold his ground after a nail-biting backhand-to-backhand exchange and level up 4-4.
The inflection point would come in the tenth game when the San Candido born took a pivotal break, firing a forehand down the line to close the opener 6-4 in 50 minutes.
With the wind in his sails, Sinner continued to build upon momentum, generating the first break point opportunity of the second set, which the 27-year-old saved by striking an ace and holding to level at three apiece.
Thrilling baseline rallies kept the fans on the edge of their seats as pressure built up on court.
Frustration took over Fritz, making his second appearance at the Finals, when his opponent neutralized all his efforts to break his serve.
Meanwhile, the two-time Grand Slam champion went from defense to attack in the blink of an eye to convert the break and seal the set 6-4 and the match to continue his campaign in Turin unbeaten.
Sinner hit 22 winners to 18 unforced errors and converted 2 of 6 break point chances.
In addition, he won 77 percent of the points on his first serve, stealing 9 of 10 net approaches.
On Sunday, the 23-year-old beat debutant Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4; in the day session, the American player showcased an outstanding performance to dismantle an erratic Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.
Next, the 17-time ATP titlist will face the 2020 champion, who earned his first victory on Tuesday over De Minaur 6-2, 6-4.
“After the last match, I was too tired mentally to fight the way I usually do. I went into the match [today] just trying to hit some shots, even thinking about next year. What is going to work well today, and what’s not,” outlined the fourth seed. “It worked well, so I’m okay with it.”
Fritz will square off against the seventh seed on Thursday.
Mathematically, all players keep their chances alive; Sinner leads the group 2-0.
