November 13, 2024
Jannik Sinner’s quest to bookend his standout season with a Nitto ATP Finals trophy continued on Tuesday night in emphatic fashion.
The 23-year-old and top seed dialled in to seal 6-4, 6-4 victory over Taylor Fritz in a pulsating clash at the season finale, moving him to 2-0 in the Ilie Nastase Group. After a fast start from Fritz, home favourite Sinner delivered an assured performance to the 12,000 fans cheering him on inside the Inalpi Arena.
“It was a very tough match, we got to know each other very well in a Grand Slam final,” said Sinner, who defeated Fritz in this year’s US Open championship match. “We knew exactly what to expect today, he was very aggressive and I was prepared.
“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.”
Sinner will seek to extend his perfect 2-0 record in the Ilie Nastase Group when he takes on fourth seed Daniil Medvedev on Thursday. Fritz, who is 1-1, aims to secure a crucial win against Alex de Minaur in his bid to advance to the semi-finals for a second time (2022).
In a back-and-forth tussle with Alexander Zverev to end the year with the most wins, Sinner levelled the German with his Tour-leading 67th victory in 2024 and improved to 7-0 on indoor hard courts across the season.
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