ATP Finals: Taylor Fritz beats Alexander Zverev to become 1st American to enter final since 2006 | Tennis News

American tennis star Taylor Fritz has advanced to the final of the ATP Finals on Saturday after defeating Alexander Zverev in a hard-fought three-set match.
With this victory, Fritz has secured his spot as the first American final at the prestigious event since James Blake in 2006. Blake had lost the final to Roger Federer.
The last American to clinch the ATP Finals title was Pete Sampras in 1999. Fritz now has a chance to emulate Sampras’ feat and claim the coveted trophy.
“I trust my game and I trust my level and I don’t feel nearly as uncomfortable in these situations anymore because I’ve been I’ve been playing the top guys at big events a lot lately. I’m getting more comfortable in the moment. I’m really, really confident in my game,” Fritz said after his victory over Zverev who was the ATP Finals champion in 2018 and 2021.
Fritz now awaits his rival in the final which will take place on Sunday. Top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the player who defeated Fritz in the US Open final — is facing Casper Ruud, in the second semi-final later on Saturday.
“It’s awesome to come back and already go a step further,” Fritz said. “I’m all about always trying to do better than the year before.”
This victory in the semi-finals was Fritz’s fourth consecutive victory over Zverev, who replaced Carlos Alcaraz at No 2 in the rankings this week.
As the Associated Press reported, this was a matchup of big servers between the 6-foot-5 (1.96-meter) Fritz and the 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Zverev, and when Fritz broke Zverev for 4-2 in the first set, it marked the first time that Zverev lost a service game in four matches in Turin.
Fritz, who is No 5 in the world rankings, also beat Zverev at Wimbledon and the US Open, plus the Laver Cup.