5 days ago
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First set: *Sinner 1-2 Fritz (*denotes next server)
But here’s an effortless service game from Fritz, as he too holds to love with a short, sharp response. This is turning into an early serving shootout.
First set: Sinner 1-1 Fritz* (*denotes next server)
15-0. Cheer. 30-0. An even bigger cheer. 40-0. The stadium erupts. Game Sinner, as the applauding fans wearing neon orange in tribute to their hero are illuminated by the stadium’s UV lights. Two aces from Sinner already and Fritz didn’t get a look-in in that game. Whatever Fritz can do on serve, Sinner seems determined to show he can do better.
First set: Sinner* 0-1 Fritz (*denotes next server)
So it’s Fritz who steps up to serve first. The American quickly shows that he’s got one of the best serves in the business with an ace on the opening point. He backs that up with a backhand cross-court winner, a shot that worked so well against Zverev in the semi-finals yesterday. Sinner then comes up with a backhand winner of his own, this one down the line. 30-15. 30-all. 40-30, as Fritz takes matters into his own hands by coming into the net and putting away the volley. Fritz gets his name on the board when Sinner smacks a backhand into the net. A strong start from Fritz; he knows he can’t allow Sinner, of all players, a head start.
So does Fritz need to do anything different to his group-stage defeat by Sinner? I don’t think so – he performed well on Tuesday, backing up his serve with controlled aggression from the baseline, and standing up to Sinner’s clean, consistent and clinical ball striking. There wasn’t much in it – Fritz just played a few bad points on serve in the final game of each set. The American will approach this match with the same gameplan – as will Sinner. I’m backing Sinner to make it a double over Fritz, but if we’re lucky we may get three sets this evening.
A lanky Sinner strides to the net, does a few groin stretches for good measure and the pair pose for the pre-match photos. I’m not sure who won the coin toss there; I couldn’t pick it up from the on-court microphones. It’s hard to hear much over this crowd.
The fans have been loud this week – but Sinner’s entrance, a couple of minutes after Fritz, is another level as 12,000 spectators rise to their feet to salute their numero uno, with the stands teeming with orange wigs, Italian flags and of course the die-hard carrots. There isn’t a spare seat in the house.
Darkness has descended in the Inalpi Arena and Virginia Bocelli returns to sing the Italian national anthem. And for the last time this week we’ve got the giant screens showing a tennis ball bouncing to the sound of a heartbeat. Sinner and Fritz’s hearts must be beating pretty loudly too right now. They’re waiting in the wings as montages of both players are played to the crowd.
Raducanu’s got the first set on the board in Malaga, 6-0 over Rebecca Marino in just 28 minutes. Marino leads 2-1 on serve in the second.
The players haven’t arrived on court yet but there’s already been a spine-tingling moment with Virginia Bocelli, the 12-year-old daughter of the Italian great Andrea Boccelli, signing a rousing version of You Raise Me Up. Sinner and Fritz should be out in a few minutes.
Fritz says:
I trust my game and I trust my level. I don’t feel anywhere near as uncomfortable in these situations any more 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.
The US Open final felt like I was kind of just trying to keep myself in with my serve, stay alive, win points by hitting big shots or playing off of his errors. Kind of just like not repeatable, consistent ways to win points.
The match we played here, I felt much more comfortable from the baseline. I had my chances in that match. I had chances to break him in both sets. He had an equal amount of chances, and he took his. He played the big points better than I did in the group stage match.
Sinner says:
Very similar circumstances and moments because we played already in the round robin and now the final but I just try to play the best I can [today]. Everything can happen. I’m just happy to be back here [in the final]. From last year now, I feel like I have more experience, I’ve grown as a player and hopefully [today] is going to be a good day. If not, again, a very positive week. This year has been a very positive year so I’m very happy.
Road to the final.
Sinner, with his 100% record, will be feeling the fresher of the two, especially after dropping only three games yesterday in his total destruction of Casper Ruud. “Jannik hits a faster ball than Novak. He doesn’t let you breathe. Every kind of groundstroke feels like rockets,” was Ruud’s reaction.
Sinner
Group stage
Won v Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4
Won v Fritz 6-4, 6-4
Won v Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4
Semi-final
Won v Ruud 6-1, 6-2
Fritz
Group stage
Won v Medvedev 6-4, 6-3
Lost v Sinner 6-4, 6-4
Won v De Minaur 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Semi-final
Won v Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3)
Back to Turin, and Fritz is the first American to reach the season-ending final since 2006, when James Blake lost to Roger Federer, while Pete Sampras was the last player from the US to win the title in 1999 when he beat his compatriot Andre Agassi in Hanover. There’s a signature Sampras slam duck or two and a peak Agassi backhand winner or two or three in these highlights.
Australia are out though:
Meanwhile over in Malaga, Britain, who have never won the Billie Jean King Cup, are facing defending champions Canada in the last eight. The first match between Emma Raducanu and Rebecca Marino is under way and Raducanu’s raced into a 4-0 lead in the opening set. Katie Boulter v Leylah Fernandez will follow, with a potential doubles between Olivia Nicholls/Heather Watson and Fernandez/Gaby Dabrowski if needed to decide the tie.
Our tennis correspondent Tumaini Carayol is there:
The doubles champions have already been crowned in Turin, with the eighth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz shocking the world No 1 pairing of Croatia’s Mate Pavic and El Salvador’s Marcelo Arévalo, who knocked out Britain’s Wimbledon champion Henry Patten and his Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara yesterday. Krawietz and Pütz won 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) to become the first Germans to claim the season-ending title.
Preamble
Buonasera! And welcome to our coverage of Sinner v Fritz part due. Just five days after Sinner’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over the American in the group stage, the pair go at it again, this time with the title on the line.
Sinner’s appearance in this final is, of course, no surprise; the Italian’s been the man of the week, with a perfect record of four straight-sets wins, and indeed the man of 2024, securing two grand slams, five other titles and the year-end world No 1 ranking despite the cloud of his ongoing drug case hanging over him. Adding the season-ending title in front of an adoring home crowd in Turin, 12 months after he lost in the final to Novak Djokovic, has almost felt preordained.
But the big-serving Fritz, emboldened by his inspired performance against the in-form Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals, will be focused on rewriting the script. The way he stayed calm in the clutch moments yesterday, including the final-set tie-break, was hugely impressive and if the world No 5 does the same today we could have an absorbing final – especially as the only real difference between him and Sinner on Tuesday was that the top seed dealt with the pressure points better. Fritz for sure was stronger than in September’s US Open final against Sinner, and that will give him hope.
Is it the hope that kills you or, in the words of Ted Lasso, the lack of hope that kills you? I’m siding with Ted here – Fritz said after his win over Zverev that he now believes he can mix it with the best in the game and I think that gives him a chance today, even though Sinner, the purist of ball strikers with a penchant for the biggest occasions, is very much the favourite.
Sinner will get the Italian party started/Fritz will attempt to spoil it: from 6pm local time/5pm GMT.
To get you in the mood: here are the highlight’s from Tuesday’s encounter.
