Jannik Sinner defends Taylor Fritz with guaranteed win in Turin | ATP Tour

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The sinner defends Fritz with a guaranteed win in Turin

The Italian improves to 7-0 on indoor hard courts in 2024

November 12, 2024

Jannik Sinner's bid to cap his outstanding season with the Nitto ATP Finals trophy continued on Tuesday night in spectacular fashion.

The top seed cruised to a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Taylor Fritz in a close season finale, moving her to 2-0 in the Ilie Nastase Group. After a fast start from Fritz, home favorite Sinner delivered a convincing performance for the 12,000 fans cheering for him inside the Inalpi Arena.

“It was a very difficult match, we got to know each other very well in the Grand Slam finals,” said Sinner, who defeated Fritz in this year's US Open. “We knew exactly what to expect today, he was aggressive and I was prepared.

“I tried to be very efficient in the important moments, which I did. That was the most important game in the second set, I was down 0/30. If he breaks me there, the momentum can change.”

FORZZZZAAAA JANNIK 🌟🇮🇹🌟

World No. 1 @janniksin got his second win of the year #NittoATPFinalsbeating Fritz 6-4 6-4!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/NcC7hryLjz

– ATP Tour (@atptour) November 12, 2024

Undeterred by the difficult task ahead, Fritz put Sinner in his ranks at the start of the competition. The 23-year-old, however, raised his game when needed to register a one-hour, 40-minute victory, advancing to 3-1 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

In a heated eighth over, Fritz dug deep to catch from 0/40, but could not get ahead with Sinner. In the 10th game, Sinner survived to convert his fourth break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and secure the opener. Soni was helped, however, by the American, who fired 16 unforced errors to his opponent's 11.

In a battle between two of the Tour's purest players, Sinner showed signs of explosive tennis that has catapulted him to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. This was based on the seventh game of the second set, when Sinner hit a stunning backhand winner en route to holding serve from 0/30, swinging the momentum in his favour.

Chasing his eighth major Tour title in 2024, Sinner returns to action in Turin following a month-long break from competitive tennis. The Italian, who finished second at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals, now looks to be in strong contention for promotion to the group, having not dropped a set.

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Sinner will look to extend his perfect record to 2-0 in the Ilie Nastase Group when he takes on fourth seed Daniil Medvedev on Thursday. Fritz, tied 1-1, is aiming for a crucial victory over Alex de Minaur in his bid to reach a second semi-final (2022).

Jannik Sinner defeats Taylor Fritz at the Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday. ” style=”width:100%;” src=”https://www.atptour.com/-/media/images/news/2024/11/12/21/42/sinner-fans-natpf-tuesday-2024 .jpg”>_{^{Fans rejoice as Jannik Sinner seeks a second win at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals. (Photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour)}}

In a back-to-back battle with Alexander Zverev to end the year with more wins, Sinner equaled the German with his Tour-leading 67th victory in 2024 and improved to 7-0 on hard indoor courts all season.