Jannik Sinner accelerated at the finish of both sets as he defeated Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday to move closer to a semi-final position at the ATP Finals in Turin. Sinner had to overcome loud home support to win his final meeting with the American in September, when he defeated him in straight sets in the US Open final. This time, the Turin crowd was closely following the Italians.
Fritz, ranked fifth, applied pressure to Sinner’s serve early in the first set. The American had the match’s first break point in the 14-minute seventh game, but he failed to capitalize. Sinner answered immediately but botched three break points in the following game before leading to 45 in the tenth game to prevail in the set.
“I was struggling with returning the ball but am very happy with how I handled it,” replied Sinner. The follow-up set remained on break until a tenth of the game when Fried double-faulted over Sinner’s first-set point.
“It was a very tough match,” Sinner stated. “We got to comprehend each other very well in the championship final, we knew everything to expect right now it was very intense as I was prepared for.” Victory propelled Sinner to the top of the Ilie Nastase group, leaving only Daniil Medvedev to face. Even if the home favorite loses in straight sets, she may still be eliminated.
Fritz meets Alex de Minaur, who has lost both of his matches thus far. In the afternoon encounter, former champion Medvedev defeated Finals debutant De Minaur 6-2, 6-4 to rebound from an early loss and enhance his chances of making the last round. The Russian, who lost the inaugural group-stage encounter to Fritz, dominated De Minaur and pushed his Australian opponent.
Medvedev, who won the title in 2020, faced no break points and broke De Minaur’s serve three times. The fourth seed will play Sinner on Thursday. “I decided not to care regarding it in a good process,” Medvedev stated. “If I perish, my season is over; if I win, I’ll have a second chance on Thursday… I’ll attempt to do the same in the following game, so I don’t mind.”
Both players struggled for holds in their first service games, but Medvedev broke for an advantage of 2-1 and never fought back. He hit 16 wins in the opening set and dropped only two points off his serve in the second. A break in the final match of the third set proved decisive, as he sealed his triumph with another comfortable hold.