US superstar’s chance for revenge over world No.1 as ATP Finals crown up for grabs
Jannik Sinner has his first ATP Finals crown firmly in his sights after crushing Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-2 on Saturday to set up a title decider with Taylor Fritz.
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Roared on by a partisan home crowd in Turin, Sinner extended his winning streak to 10 matches with another dominating display which showed why he is the first Italian to top the ATP’s end-of-season world rankings.
Sinner barely gave Ruud time to breathe as he rattled off the first three games and took the first set in half and hour, before sweeping to a comprehensive victory.
The 23-year-old has reacted to losing last year’s final to Novak Djokovic by displacing the Serbian tennis icon at the top of the game, winning seven tournaments this season including his first Grand Slam victories at the Australian and US Opens.
Fritz has a task on his hands to become the first American Finals winner since Pete Sampras 25 years ago as he has been comfortably beaten both times he has faced Sinner this year, with straight sets victories in the US Open final and the group stage in Turin.
Sinner’s year has not quite been perfect however as he has been dogged by controversy after twice testing positive for traces of the steroid clostebol in March.
A World Anti-Doping Agency appeal against his initial exoneration has been hanging over his head since September, when WADA announced it was seeking a ban of up to two years.
Fifth-ranked Fritz is the first US man to make the final since James Blake in 2006 after a thrilling 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/3) triumph over world number two Zverev.
Fritz has a chance for revenge on Sinner for the US Open final defeat in September following a gruelling match in northern Italy.
Both players had chances to take control in a topsy-turvy third set, but failed to capitalise on a host of break points before Fritz held his nerve better in the tie-break to claim a spot in the final.
Fritz managed to save three break points in game five of the third set, just when it looked like Zverev was set to take control of the match.
“That was probably the biggest turning point, I lose one of those points and that’s probably it. That’s kind of how it goes with playing Sascha,” said Fritz, who got to the semis two years ago.
Zverev was aiming for a tour-leading 70th win of the season but his winning streak was snapped at eight matches after coming into Saturday’s clash having not dropped a single set or service game in Turin.
But the 27-year-old admitted that he failed to take his chances when it counted after playing arguably the better tennis in the closing two sets of the match.
“It was one of those days where everything, it takes times to get going,” said Zverev.
“It’s like it’s not a natural flow to movement patterns, to your shots as well, to just how you wake up in the morning. Everything is a little bit more tiring. I felt that way today.” On Friday night Zverev described the men’s tennis calendar as “crazy”, saying that he had not spent more than consecutive three days at home all year.
