Fritz to play for ATP title in U.S. first since 2006

US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz reached another big final at the ATP Finals by beating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) on Saturday.

Fritz became the first American finalist at the elite eight-man event since James Blake lost the 2006 final to Roger Federer. The last American to win the trophy was Pete Sampras in 1999.

In Sunday’s final, Fritz will face top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the player he lost to in the US Open final — or Casper Ruud, who were playing later Saturday.

Sinner beat Fritz in straight sets in the group stage this week.

It was Fritz’s fourth consecutive victory over Zverev, who replaced Carlos Alcaraz at No. 2 in the rankings this week.

Fritz, who is No. 5, also beat Zverev at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Laver Cup.

It was a matchup of big servers between the 6-foot-5 Fritz and the 6-foot-6 Zverev. When Fritz broke for a 4-2 lead in the first set, it marked the first time that Zverev lost a service game in four matches in Turin.

Eventually, the match turned into a physical duel from the baseline. Fritz rallied from 0-40 and held his serve for 3-2 in the third set after a nine-minute game full of long rallies, winning one exchange that lasted 30 strokes.

Zverev, the finals champion in 2018 and 2021, entered the semifinals on an eight-match winning streak after taking the Paris Masters.