Turin – The Italian Jannik Sinner, the number one tennis player in the world ranking, is back in the finals of the Tournament of Champions after a year. He defeated Nor Casper Ruud 6:1, 6:2 in the semi-finals in Turin, and his opponent on Sunday will be the American Taylor Fritz, who beat two-time winner Alexander Zverev of Germany 6:3, 3:6, 7:6.
Sinner didn’t give Ruud a chance and secured the promotion after one hour and ten minutes. The 23-year-old Italian, who lost to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the final last year, claimed his 25th victory in the last 26 matches. He went to the final without losing a set, which was the last time Djokovic did it in 2018.
He will meet Fritz for the second time in Turin, in the basic group he managed to beat him twice 6:4. Before that, he easily defeated the American in the final of this year’s US Open. Overall, Sinner has a record of three wins and only one defeat with him on the ATP circuit.
The 27-year-old Fritz entered the match with Zverev brilliantly and won the first set after a break at 4:2, when he became the first player in the tournament to take the German player’s serve. However, in the second set, the 2018 and 2021 champion took the initiative and equalized.
The third set had to be decided by a tie-break, in which Fritz had the upper hand from the beginning and, after winning 7:3, defeated Zverev for the fourth time in a row. He became the first American to reach the final of the Masters since James Blake in 2006. The United States has been waiting for a winner since Pete Sampras’ triumph in 1999.
“I think the first set was almost perfect for me,” Fritz said. “In the second it was significantly more difficult and in the third I had several near misses,” said the American. “Recently, I often play against top guys. And I trust them more and more,” he added.
Tennis Tournament of Champions in Turin (hard surface, endowment $15,250,000):
Singles – Semifinals:
Sinner (1-It.) – Ruud (7-Nor.) 6:1, 6:2, Fritz (5-USA) – Zverev (2-Něm.) 6:3, 3:6, 7:6 (7 :3).
Doubles – Semifinals:
Arévalo, Pavič (1-Salv./Chorv.) – Heliövaara, Patten (7-Fin./Brit.) 7:6 (7:1), 7:6 (7:4), Krawietz, Pütz (8-Něm .) – Purcell, Thompson (5-Austr.) 2:6, 6:3, 11:9.
Sport tennis Tournament of Champions semi-final PHOTO
Source: www.ceskenoviny.cz
