TURIN: Imperious home favourite and world number one Jannik Sinner outclassed Norway’s Casper Ruud to set up an ATP Finals title decider against Taylor Fritz on Saturday.

Sinner was unstoppable as he dispatched Ruud 6-1, 6-2 in the evening session at a packed Inalpi Arena and will be favourite to become Italy’s first winner of the prestigious year-ender.Sinner’s stupendous year may have been clouded by an anti-doping controversy but on the court he is finishing the season like an express train and has won 25 of his last 26 matches.

The 23-year-old was razor-sharp against Ruud and was in complete control after breaking serve in the second game. He has reached the final without dropping a set.

“I raised my level and I was intense with each shot,” Sinner, who beat Fritz in the US Open final and also in the group stage in Turin, said on court.

“It’s a similar circumstance to last year. I’ll just try to play my best tomorrow and hopefully it’ll be a good day.”

Sinner lost in the final to Novak Djokovic last year having beaten the Serb in an earlier group match.

“I’ve grown a lot as a player,” added Sinner, who struck 23 winners in a one-sided contest.

In the doubles El Salvador’s Marcelo Arevalo and Croatia’s Mate Pavic, the top seeds, beat seventh seeds Harri Heliovaara (Finland) and Henry Patten (Britain) 7-6(1), 7-6(4) to set up a final against German duo Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz.

Krawietz and Puetz saved a match point in beating Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson 2-6, 6-3, 11-9.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2024