Sinner and Fritz Advance to ATP Finals Semis with Victories

Jannik Sinner, the world number one, continued his flawless run at the ATP Finals in Turin with a dominant 6-3, 6-4 win over Russia's Daniil Medvedev, securing top spot in the Ilie Nastase group. With a perfect 3-0 record in the group stage, Sinner's semi-final spot had already been guaranteed earlier in the day after Taylor Fritz defeated Alex de Minaur 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

Sinner's victory came after Medvedev needed to win in straight sets to surpass Fritz in the standings. However, Sinner's performance proved too strong as he maintained his unbeaten run in Turin, having not dropped a set so far. “No preference [on who I play]. Whoever it is going to be on the other side of the net I will try to play the best tennis I can,” Sinner commented after the match.

The Italian, who has won two Grand Slam titles this year, including the Australian and US Opens, has also been involved in a doping controversy, but he remains focused on the task ahead. “I know what I have achieved during this year so I try to step on court with a good mindset,” Sinner added in his on-court interview. He was pleased with the support from his team and fans as he continued his quest for further success.

Medvedev struggled with 17 unforced errors, allowing Sinner to break at 5-3 in the first set and again at 4-4 in the second set, sealing the victory to improve his season record to 68 wins in 74 matches.

Fritz's win over de Minaur confirmed his place in the semi-finals as well. The Australian needed a straight-set win to advance, but Fritz broke his resistance by stealing the second set against the run of play. Afterward, Fritz reflected, “All of us are pretty beat up but if I'm in the semi-finals of the world tour finals then I've got energy to give.”

Fritz faced a tough challenge, particularly in the first set when De Minaur broke serve and held on to take it 7-5. However, Fritz responded by raising his game in the second set, defending against break points and capitalizing at 5-4 to level the match. The third set saw Fritz stay consistent under pressure, wrapping up the win with an ace after two hours and eight minutes of play.

Meanwhile, in doubles action, Britain's Henry Patten and Finland's Harri Heliovaara secured their third consecutive win in the group stage, defeating 2020 champions Nikola Mektic and Wesley Koolhof 4-6, 6-3, 12-10. Patten and Heliovaara, who claimed the Wimbledon doubles title in July, had already secured their semi-final place and will find out their last-four opponents on Friday.