Taylor Fritz has reached the final of the ATP Finals for the first time. The 27-year-old world number five defeated the German number 2 seed Alexander Zverev 6:3, 3:6, 7:6 (7:3) in the semi-finals and will challenge top favorite Jannik Sinner (ATP 1) in the final on Sunday.
Sinner overcame his semi-final hurdle, the Norwegian Casper Ruud (ATP 7), who defeated Carlos Alcaraz and Andrej Rublev in the group matches, without any problems. The top-seeded Italian conceded just three games in the 69 minutes that the match lasted and repeated his final appearance from the previous year without losing a set.
In the balanced match between Fritz and Zverev, a break in the first set and two points at Zverev's service in the decisive tie-break tipped the scales in favor of the American, who hit 15 aces.
It was the fourth defeat against Fritz this year for Zverev, who won the final tournament of the season for the top eight tennis players in 2018 and 2021, which is endowed with 15 million dollars in prize money. The American had already beaten the German of the same age at the US Open, Wimbledon and the Laver Cup. Overall, Fritz now leads the direct comparison with 7:5 wins.
This means that Sunday will see the coronation of the world number 1 or a premiere for the outsider Fritz. Australian Open and US Open winner Sinner, who is facing legal trouble due to a positive doping test, could crown his magnificent year in front of his home crowd with his first triumph at the ATP Finals. Sinner's US Open final opponent Fritz is in the final for the first time and could pull off a surprise victory as the world number five.
SDA
