Sinner soars past Ruud to Nitto ATP Finals title match

Jannik Sinner moved to within one win of capping his standout season in style on Saturday when he dispatched Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-2 to reach the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year.

The Italian received a roaring reception from the vocal home crowd when he walked onto court inside the Inalpi Arena and the World No. 1 used the energy to his advantage in an electric 70-minute display.

Sinner’s depth, weight of shot and pinpoint accuracy were too much for Ruud, who was blown away by a tidal wave of power in the pair’s third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting (3-0 Sinner).

"I felt I was returning well in the first games of each set and then when going up a break I tried to be very concentrated with service games,” Sinner said. “I tried to be intense with each shot and I'm very happy with the performance and to be in the final again."

With the 69th win of his historic season, the 23-year-old became the youngest player since 20-year-old Lleyton Hewitt in 2002 to reach multiple title matches at the prestigious year-end event.

Standing between Sinner and an eighth tour-level title in 2024 is American Taylor Fritz. Sinner, who has won 25 of his past 26 matches, beat Fritz in straight sets in the round-robin stage and is trying to become an undefeated champion at the event. The top seed is also the first player to reach the final without dropping a set since record seven-time champ Novak Djokovic in 2018.

Twelve months ago, Sinner beat Djokovic in the round-robin stage but lost to the Serbian in the final in Turin. Since then, he was won majors at the Australian Open and US Open and become the first Italian in history to rise to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

"It's a very similar circumstance to last year as we have already played in the round-robin. I just try to play the best I can tomorrow," Sinner said. "From last year to now I feel I have more experience and have grown as a player. Hopefully it will be a good day after a very positive week and a very positive year."

Having already claimed ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, Sinner will hope to close out his iconic individual season on Sunday against Fritz in the title match before he ends the year at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next week.

The Inalpi Arena was a cacophony of noise throughout the evening and some of Italy’s biggest football stars were courtside to watch. Former World Cup winner Giorgio Chiellini cheered Sinner on, as did former Juventus manager Maximilian Allegri.

‘Ole! Ole, Ole, Ole! Sinner! Sinner,’ echoed around the stands and the former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion gave them plenty to cheer about by racing into a 3-0 lead in the first set, with Ruud struggling to deal with Sinner’s intensity and flat ballstriking.

Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
The Norwegian, who beat Carlos Alcaraz in the round-robin stage, did have the opportunity to break Sinner at 3-1, 30/40, but fired a regulation backhand wide when Sinner looked stranded at the net. From there, the Italian made him pay with a dominant performance fans and players have become accustomed to seeing.

Sinner struck 23 winners and committed just nine unforced errors. He dictated the tempo of the match with his watertight backhand and destructive forehand, pulling Ruud from corner to corner to move to triumph. Sinner raised his arms aloft after sealing victory.

Ruud was competing in the semi-finals for the third time in Turin, having lost in the final to Djokovic in 2022. The 25-year-old ends the season at No. 6 in the PIF ATP Rankings, highlighted by his maiden ATP 500 title in Barcelona.

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