Tennis | Nitto ATP Finals 2024 | Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz continue rivalry in Turin for final berth

11/15/2024 05:23 PM

By Tony Fairbairn

• Alexander Zverev [2] v Taylor Fritz [5]
• Jannik Sinner [1] v Casper Ruud [6]

TURIN, ITALY – Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz will continue their rivalry into the Nitto ATP Finals as a place in the final is at stake.

Alexander Zverev [2] v Taylor Fritz [5] | H2H: Fritz leads 6-5

It's been an impressive last couple of weeks for Alexander Zverev who has backed up his Masters 1000 triumph in Paris-Bercy in style by qualifying for the semi-finals with a 100% record. After dumping Carlos Alcaraz out of the tournament, the German is now targeting a third Nitto ATP Finals title and will look to take one step further by reaching the final. Standing in Zverev's way is Taylor Fritz after the US Open finalist defeated Alex De Minaur in order to reach the final four in Turin.

H2H & Match Fundamentals

It's been an incredible last few weeks for Zverev who is in red-hot form as he made it three wins out of three in the round robin stage.

The German will end the season as the world number two but now targets a third Nitto ATP Finals title to follow up his Masters 1000 title in Paris-Bercy.

Next up for Zverev is familiar rival Fritz with the American securing a place in the last four with two impressive wins.

The American has had a consistent season but would love to back up that consistency with a big title to end the season with.

Speaking after his win over Alcaraz, Zverev spoke about the significance of the win and previewed his clash with Fritz.

"He beat me too many times this year in important matches, so I'm happy that I got this one," Zverev told the ATP website.

"Obviously I feel like we have a pretty good rivalry with a great friendship as well, so it's always nice to play against him… Just sharing the court with him. He's a great guy and I'm looking forward to the next matches with him as well.

"It's been three fantastic matches. I'm happy with being 3-0 in the group for sure, but I think now the semi-final is going to be very difficult. [Taylor] beat me the past few times at the Slams, so I'm looking forward to that match."

Meanwhile Fritz spoke about his difficult match with De Minaur and how most of the players are feeling the effects of a long season.

"It's tough, because even though I won the match, I feel like there wasn't necessarily any moment when I feel like I had a repeatable way to win from the baseline, to be honest," Fritz told the ATP website.

"He was all over me. What I did a great job of was towards the end of the second set, I really started to find my serve. I was serving much better and that allowed me to just stay with it and create more pressure on his service games.

"When I wasn't making the first serves, he was just killing me from the baseline, so it just gave me a little bit of comfort to just stay in the match and not be under so much pressure all the time. I was able to just come up with some good shots at some good times, play off some of his mistakes, but it was still incredibly tough.

"I think a lot of us are pretty beat up. But if I'm in the semis of the [Nitto ATP Finals], I've got energy to give."

Zverev will look to dominate on serve and continue to be clinical on the forehand side as no player has had a response for that yet.

Meanwhile Fritz will aim to use the forehand to pin Zverev behind the baseline and cause Zverev problems just like he did at the US Open.

This will be Zverev's toughest test given how Fritz has had his number over the past few meetings.

However the German's recent form makes him slight favourite heading into this match.

Prediction: Zverev in three sets.

Jannik Sinner [1] v Casper Ruud [6] | H2H: Sinner leads 2-0

Jannik Sinner has delivered on home soil so far with the world number one winning all three of his matches so far. An eighth title is on the horizon for Sinner who is aiming to finish the year on a high and targets a first Nitto ATP Finals title after narrowly missing out at last year's event. Next for Sinner is former finalist Casper Ruud after the Norwegian defeated Andrey Rublev to book a place in the final four.

H2H & Match Fundamentals

World number one Sinner continues to deliver in this astonishing season as he has overcome three intense matches to reach the last four.

Now Sinner targets an eighth title this season as well as a first one home soil, seeking to win a first Nitto ATP Finals title.

Next up for Sinner is Ruud who is into his third consecutive semi-final at the Nitto ATP Finals after playing some of the best tennis of his season in the round robin phase.

Now Ruud will look to reach his second final at the Nitto ATP Finals after what has been a rough last few weeks.

After his win over Daniil Medvedev, Sinner spoke about improvements he's made to his game ahead of the semi-finals.

"I’m trying to find new ways to improve as a player," Sinner told the ATP website.

"I’m trying to win as many matches here as I can. Me and Daniil, we know each other very well. So, everytime we step on court, we try to change something tactically. I felt like I was ready to see what he was going to do today.

"I know what I have achieved during this year, so I try to step on court with a good mindset. I have beautiful people around me who support me daily, which for me is really important. I try to enjoy my time on the court.

"The atmosphere here is amazing, so I'm just trying to play some good tennis this week. Let's see what's coming in the next round."

After defeating Rublev, Ruud spoke about his tennis over the last week and admitted he will be the underdog against Sinner on Saturday night.

"Tennis is interesting sometimes. I don’t know what I am doing better this week than the past few weeks but the only thing is serving, I am serving really well," Ruud explained to the ATP website.

"It is tough to play the best players in the world but nice because you feel you are an underdog and can play free and you know if you don’t bring your A plus level you will likely lose.

"I knew coming into this match that a set was enough to qualify, so I was a bit nervous at the start. So when I got that first set I could breath out a little. I still focused on the match and finished with a good third set.

"He is the best player in the world all year and is playing at home and has not dropped a set all week. He is the player to beat this year and I am going to do my best. It seems like this guy almost forgot how to lose.

"I will see if I can come up with something to challenge here. I will be prepared for probably the toughest match of the year."

Sinner will use the serve to stay on the front foot as he will use angles to create space on the court.

Meanwhile Ruud will continue to use power on the return as he will aim to dictate play with the forehand.

Ruud will start both sets off strong using his spin and pace but Sinner should have too much in order to win another straight sets match in Turin.

Prediction: Sinner in straight sets.

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