Taylor Fritz edged past Alexander Zverev to become the first American to reach the title match at the ATP Finals for nearly 20 years.
American players were regular champions in the first 30 years of the tournament’s history, but Pete Sampras in 1999 was the last to lift the trophy.
Not since James Blake in 2006 has an American reached the final, so Fritz’s 6-3 3-6 7-6 (3) victory in Turin was a landmark moment.
Taylor Made for the BIG OCCASION 💫
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 16, 2024
🇺🇸 @Taylor_Fritz97 becomes the first American finalist since James Blake in 2006!!!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/xiEXg4Syv4
Second seed Zverev had cruised into the semi-finals, winning all his three group matches in straight sets, but he had lost three matches in a row to Fritz and the 27-year-old again came out on top.
It was nip and tuck until the final-set tie-break when three crucial errors from Zverev helped his rival gain the decisive advantage.
Fritz will now bid for the biggest title of his career and he said: “I trust my game and I trust my level.
“I don’t feel anywhere near as uncomfortable in these situations anymore 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.”
