Fritz overpowers Zverev for the fourth time in a row to make the ATP Finals 2024 title clash
The American defeated Alexander Zverev in a three-setter on Saturday and will play the winner of the second semi-final between Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud in the final
Image Sport / Panoramic
American Taylor Fritz defeated German Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) in the semi-finals of the 2024 ATP Finals at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy, on Saturday, November 16.
Fritz and Zverev battled for two hours, 24 minutes, with the American smashing 15 aces and 31 winners, and saving six of the seven break points. The German didn’t do badly himself, recording 10 aces, 34 winners, and 29 unforced errors — five less than his opponent.
The two ended up winning the same number of points, i.e., 97, but the No 5 seed raised his level in the crucial moments, helped by errors from Zverev in the third set tiebreaker. He will play the winner of the second semi-final between world No 1 Jannik Sinner and Norway’s Casper Ruud.
This was Fritz’s fourth win in a row against Zverev on the ATP Tour as he took a 7-5 lead in the head-to-head.
It was tough in the second and the third.”
Taylor Fritz
“I felt like I played almost a perfect first set, things felt great,” Fritz, who’s now certain to rise to a career-high ranking of world No 4, said after the win. “And then things can change pretty quickly when you’re playing someone like Sascha. You just play one service game that’s not great, he played a good return game and he breaks me and then I have some chances to get it back but he’s such a good server and that’s just the set.
“And then I found myself in some tough spots in the third. I felt like we both started to get on each other’s serve even more. More balls were being put in play. At the end, the balls were just huge and when I was trying to be aggressive. I didn’t feel like it was doing much so I just told myself at the end I had to just fight and be solid and try to take care of my serve the best I can but give him nothing from the back.”
Set 1: Zverev broken for the first time in the tournament
The match opened to a short yet eventful opening game that saw Zverev missing a drop shot and Fritz firing three aces and committing one double fault but eventually holding his serve.
The players proceeded to play disciplined tennis as games topped off quickly until the fifth one where longer rallies began to flow. Fritz then disturbed Zverev’s rhythm in the sixth game, forcing the German to turn to his team for answers but the American succeeded in securing a break — first by anyone against Zverev in the tournament.
The No 5 seed then consolidated the break with a hold to love in the seventh game followed by Zverev holding as well. Fritz then brought the set to a close in the ninth game, prompting his opponent to slap the court with his racquet and engage in a desperate discussion with his father and coach Alexander Zverev Sr sitting in the stands.
Set 2: Zverev strikes back
The second set began with cameras spotting Jannik Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill taking notes from the stands. On the court, drama unfolded in the second game after Zverev opted for a video review on a double bounce. The referral caused a brief delay of four minutes, 13 seconds, with the German succeeding in reversing the call and the point was replayed. Fritz held nonetheless.
Announce Tennis VAR 🚨
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 16, 2024
The video review comes out for this point between Fritz and Zverev…#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/w4CduRIteC
The fuss spilled over to the third game as well when Zverev complained about getting distracted by the advertisement boards that flashed behind Fritz right when the German landed a first serve. The boards were dimmed eventually before the world No 2 secured a hold.
The following game saw Zverev convert a break point on the second time of asking, drawing a couple of unforced errors from his opponent. Both players then held their respective serves, with the German serving the set out after recovering from a 0-30 deficit in the ninth game to force a decider.
Set 3: Fritz prevails after a marathon backhand battle
The final set turned out to be a battle of the backhands as Fritz and Zverev remained on serve throughout.
The No 2 seed was the first to earn break points, three in the fifth game but failed to capitalise as the American saved them all after marathon backhand to backhand exchanges. The two played for 13 points in total before Fritz secured the titanic hold.
What followed were a few poor service holds from both competitors, forcing a tiebreaker. Fritz managed to secure the first mini break and took a 4-1 lead before Zverev recovered to 4-3 but didn’t win another point as the American crossed the finish line, winning a fourth straight tiebreak against Zverev.
As mentioned already, the win meant Fritz would overtake Russian Daniil Medvedev in the updated ATP singles ranking on Monday and end the 2024 season as the fourth-best player.
