New Delhi: Taylor Fritz entered the final of the ATP Finals on Saturday after prevailing over Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) on the Centre Court at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy. The 27-year-old California-born player became the first American male tennis player to reach the summit clash of the event since James Blake in 2006.
Fritz will have the opportunity to also become the first player from his country to win the ATP World Tour Finals after 25 years. Pete Sampras was the last American to win the title in 1999. Fritz will face World No.1 Jannik Sinner in the final after the Italian rallied past Norweigan player Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-2 with ease.
The two played in the final of the US Open with Sinner returning victorious in straight sets by a margin of 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. The two-time Grand Slam also prevailed in the Round Robin Day 3 match against the American with identical set triumphs of 6-4, 6-4.
“I trust my game and I trust my level and I don’t feel nearly as uncomfortable in these situations anymore because I’ve been I’ve been playing the top guys at big events a lot lately,” Fritz said. “I’m getting more comfortable in the moment. I’m really, really confident in my game.”
Taylor Fritz wins battle of talls
It was a matchup of big servers between the 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Fritz and the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Zverev, and when Fritz broke Zverev for 4-2 in the first set, it marked the first time that Zverev lost a service game in four matches in Turin.
Eventually, though, the match turned into a physical duel from the baseline. Fritz rallied from 0-40 and held his serve for 3-2 in the third after a nine-minute game full of long rallies – winning one such exchange that lasted 30 strokes.
The American was then under pressure one service game after another but somehow managed to keep holding.
Fritz got ahead early in the tiebreaker and finished Zverev off with an audacious inside-out forehand winner on his first match point. He finished with 15 aces to Zverev’s 10 in a match that last 2 hours, 20 minutes
“I lose at least one of those (break) points and that’s probably it,” Fritz said. “That’s how it kind of goes with playing Sascha. Whoever takes their chances between the two of us is going to win the match just because you don’t get too many and we’re both big servers.”
(With inputs from Associated Press via Press Trust of India)
Taylor Fritz will have the opportunity to become the first player from his country to win the ATP World Tour Finals after 25 years. . Pete Sampras was the last American to win the title in 1999. Tennis Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
