By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday 16 November 2024
Taylor Fritz hopes to do the unthinkable against the real estate on Sunday in Turin.
That’s the set-up for the American, who will bid to become the first man from his country to win an ATP final since Pete Sampras in 1999, when he meets world No. 1 and heavy favorite Jannik in the final Sinner.
Sinner has faced Fritz in 2024, beating the American in the US Open final in straight sets and then ousting him in the round-robin earlier this week in Turin, 6-4, 6-4. .
Fritz is now 1-3 with three straight defeats against Sinner, but he believes he is making strides against the Italian even if he has lost the last six sets the pair have contested without a single tiebreak.
On Saturday, after knocking off world No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, Fritz told reporters that his 6-4, 6-4 loss to Sinner earlier in the week was much closer than it looked.
“I felt a lot more comfortable from the start,” he said of the loss. “I had my chances in that match. I had chances to break him in both sets. He had an equal amount of chances and took his. He played the big points better than me in the group stage match.
The loss was a step up from his 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 loss to Sinner in Flushing Meadows at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
A US Open final rematch…Predictions?#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/Oql98zO3si
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 16, 2024
“It didn’t feel as one-sided as the Open,” Fritz said. “I felt like the match for me was closer than 4 and 4. Like I said, he played the big points better. He is the best player in the world. He is playing with a lot of confidence. That’s something you have to expect from him, to play the big points very well.
“I made a lot of improvements in my game. For me at the US Open, the biggest thing was that I just didn’t play well. I did not serve well. If I don’t serve well, I would say that it sets the rest of my game up for failure.
This time, Fritz says he doesn’t need to change much. He just needs to stand up.
“The way I played against him in the group stage was the right way to play,” he said. “I think if I serve a little bit better in the two games that I broke down, literally play a point or two better in the return game where I had my chances, it could be a different match. Obviously that’s a big question because he’s playing the big points extremely well.
“But I wouldn’t change anything. I really believe that the match in the group stage was closer than you would think by looking at the result.”
