Jannik Sinner, Taylor Fritz to battle in Nitto ATP title match

Jannik Sinner lost in the title match of the Nitto ATP Finals last year but now he’s earned another opportunity.

The top-seeded Sinner rolled to an easy 6-1, 6-2 victory over sixth-seeded Casper Ruud in Saturday’s semifinal to return to the championship match. Sinner will face fifth-seeded Taylor Fritz on Sunday after the American knocked off second-seeded Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) in the other semi at Turin, Italy.

The Italian racked up nine aces and won 81.5 percent (22 of 27) of his first-serve points while dispatching Ruud of Norway.

“I felt I was returning well in the first games of each set and then when going up a break I tried to be very concentrated with service games,” Sinner said. “I tried to be intense with each shot and I’m very happy with the performance and to be in the final again.”

Sinner received a boost from the home-country crowd during the 70-minute win. He had a 22-10 edge in winners.

After the match, a loud ovation was touching to Sinner, who was won 69 matches this season, won major crowns at the Australian Open and U.S. Open in addition to becoming the first Italian man to reach No. 1.

Now on deck is winning this event. Last season, he lost the title match to Novak Djokovic after beating the Serbian in round-robin play.

On Tuesday, Sinner defeated Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in the round-robin stage.

“It’s a very similar circumstance to last year as we have already played in the round-robin,” Sinner said. “I just try to play the best I can tomorrow. From last year to now I feel I have more experience and have grown as a player. Hopefully it will be a good day after a very positive week and a very positive year.”

Fritz became the first U.S. player to reach the finals in this event since James Blake in 2006 with his victory over Zverev of Germany.

Fritz had a 15-10 edge in aces with both players delivering a high level of power tennis.

Fritz jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the tiebreaker before Zverev won the next two points. Fritz then won the next three to seal it.

“I trust my game and I trust my level,” Fritz said. “I don’t feel anywhere near as uncomfortable in these situations anymore because I’ve been putting myself in these situations against the top guys at big events a lot lately. … I’m really confident in my game.”

Fritz is 1-3 against Sinner, losing twice this season, including being swept in three sets in the final of the U.S. Open.

It was the fifth time Fritz and Zverev squared off this season. Fritz won four of the meetings and eliminated Zverev from Wimbledon (round of 16) and U.S. Open (quarterfinals).

“This one will hurt maybe a bit more because I thought I played at a decent level and I had more chances generally in the third set,” Zverev said. “I felt like statistically and shot-wise, my level maybe was even higher than his until the important moments. That’s where I kind of blew it. This one will hurt more than the other few.”

–Field Level Media