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ATP Finals: Sinner ease past Ruud, set championship match with Fritz

Home Tennis ATP Finals: Sinner ease past Ruud, set championship match with Fritz
ATP Finals: Sinner ease past Ruud, set championship match with Fritz
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Jannik Sinner moved to within one win of capping his standout season in style on Saturday when he dispatched Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-2 to reach the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year.

The Italian received a roaring reception from the vocal home crowd when he walked onto court inside the Inalpi Arena and the World No. 1 used the energy to his advantage in an electric 70-minute display.

With the 69th win of his historic season, the 23-year-old became the youngest player since 20-year-old Lleyton Hewitt in 2002 to reach multiple title matches at the prestigious year-end event.

Standing between Sinner and an eighth tour-level title in 2024 is American Taylor Fritz. Sinner, who has won 25 of his past 26 matches, beat Fritz in straight sets in the round-robin stage and is trying to become an undefeated champion at the event. The top seed is also the first player to reach the final without dropping a set since record seven-time champ Novak Djokovic in 2018.

Ruud was competing in the semi-finals for the third time in Turin, having lost in the final to Djokovic in 2022. The 25-year-old ends the season at No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings, highlighted by his maiden ATP 500 title in Barcelona.

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