World number one Jannik Sinner capped off a magnificent 2024 season with a 6-4 6-4 win over Taylor Fritz in the final of the ATP World Tour Finals in Turin.
In a repeat of the championship match at the US Open - which the Italian also won in straight sets - Sinner needed just one hour and 24 minutes to repeat his New York trick and cement his status as the finest men's player on the planet.
Having also bested Casper Ruud in two sets in the final, while enjoying routine wins over Fritz, Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur, Sinner is the first man in 38 years to win the ATP Finals without dropping a set.
Ivan Lendl was the last man to do so in the 1986 edition, and just like at the Australian Open and US Open earlier in the season, Sinner also became the first Italian player to win the year-end championships.
"It's amazing, it's my first title in Italy and it means so much to me," Sinner said on the court as he addressed the home crowd. "It's something very special.
"I just tried to understand what works best for each opponent, trying to play my best possible tennis. That was the key. It was a very high level tournament from my side. At times, I couldn't have played better, so I am very happy."
A breakdown of Sinner's scintillating final display
The moment Jannik Sinner was crowned the ATP Finals champion 🏆🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/yzkYLkXksf
— Sky Sports Tennis (@SkySportsTennis) November 17, 2024
Following three love holds from both players to start the match, the unforced errors began to rack up for Fritz in the seventh game, although he initially came up clutch to save three break points.
However, Sinner was not to be denied on his fourth opportunity to draw first blood, before moving one game away from taking the first set with a love hold in which he fired three aces.
Fritz responded in kind with a love hold of his own and even fashioned a chance to break Sinner as he was serving for the set, but the world number one quickly saved it with a 127mph serve before taking the opener with another ace.
In similar fashion to the first set, the duo exchanged a few holds before double faults and unforced errors reared their ugly heads for Fritz, who fatally lost serve in the fifth game to gift Sinner a 3-2 lead.
The two-time Grand Slam winner was momentarily troubled on serve as Fritz got to deuce in the eighth game, but another ace got the Italian out of jail before Fritz hit a final forehand error on Sinner's first championship point.
Ben Knapton
