American tennis star Taylor Fritz got his ATP Finals underway in ominous fashion as he beat Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4 in front of a vibrant home crowd in Turin. World No. 6 Fritz put on an excellent display of serving power to seal his first victory over Musetti in three years, making an early statement to the rest of the competition at the season-ending event.
Fritz’s Serve the Key to Victory
Runner-up to Jannik Sinner in last year’s ATP Finals, Taylor Fritz was all but unstoppable on serve. He lost just three points on serve in the second set alone – two of them in the final game of the set. The dominant service games from Fritz kept him ahead throughout the match and neutralized the early aggression from Musetti.
Ninth seed Lorenzo Musetti who had only confirmed his ATP Finals berth on Sunday after Novak Djokovic withdrew due to his Athens Open triumph had early chances to break Fritz but could not capitalize on them. While he managed to take seven of his nine service games to deuce, the Italian failed to sustain the physical intensity against a relentless Fritz.
Fritz Reflects on His Nerve-Settling Win
Speaking after the match, Taylor Fritz admitted to feeling the pressure early on, but he quickly found his rhythm.
“I was a little shaky at the start and letting him dictate too much,” Fritz told Sky Sports. “It was a bit nervy for me, which is expected. But I loosened up and started playing a lot better.”
This win is a good sign for Fritz, who seeks to improve upon the year’s solid run to the final of the ATP Finals.
Sinner and Alcaraz Fight for Year-End No. 1
Elsewhere at the ATP Finals, world number one Jannik Sinner is set to open his campaign against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. Sinner faces pressure to defend his title in Turin as he is locked in a year-end ranking battle with Spanish rival Carlos Alcaraz. The only way Sinner holds the number-one spot is by winning the title and hoping for Alcaraz to lose a group match and fail to reach the final.
British Duo Start Doubles Campaign with Victory In the doubles draw, British players Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski got off to a winning start as they beat Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Mate Pavic from Croatia 6-3, 7-5. No all-British pairing has ever won the season-ending ATP Finals doubles title, although Salisbury has won the past two editions alongside American partner Rajeev Ram in 2022 and 2023.
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