Jannik Sinner eased past Daniil Medvedev in straight sets to top the Ilie Nastase Group with a perfect record as he dumped the Russian out of the ATP Finals in Turin.
Sinner was assured of a spot in the last four after US Open finalist Taylor Fritz beat Alex de Minaur 5-7 6-4 6-3 earlier in the day.
The Italian, a clear favourite on home turf, managed to fight off a late resurgence from Medvedev who took three consecutive games in the second set.
However, the top seed dug deep to claim a 6-3 6-4 victory in an hour and 13 minutes, relying on his dominant and consistent serve throughout which saw him break for 5-3 before serving out the opening set to love.
Medvedev has not won a title this season and made a total of 30 unforced errors during his defeat.
Following his loss to Taylor Fritz earlier this month, Medvedev expressed that he has no pleasure being on the court and opened up about his struggles with motivation to compete.
Sinner was able to take full advantage, breaking on his first opportunity at 4-4 before serving out the match.
He will face the runner-up from the John Newcombe Group, a spot currently occupied by Casper Ruud ahead of Friday’s matches, live on Sky Sports Tenniswhen the Norwegian faces Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev plays Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner is playing at home for the first time since it was announced before his US Open title that he tested positive in two separate drug tests this year. A decision to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September and a final ruling in the case is expected in 2025.
“I’m here trying to find new ways to improve as a player,” said Sinner after his victory.
“I am here trying to win as many matches as I can.
“Me and Daniil know each other really well so whenever we step on to the court we try and change something tactically and today I was ready to see what he is going to do.
“I try to step on court with a good mindset, I have a great team behind me and beautiful people around me who support me which is more important.
“Tennis wise, I just try to enjoy it and play well.”
Robson: Superstar Sinner always composed
Sky Sports’ Laura Robson:
“Sinner is everywhere. You walk around Turin, he is on every billboard and he is truly a superstar.
“He is so composed. He had his chances in the second set and just doesn’t panic.
“He has the same intention with every shot.
“All in all, a very solid performance. It was not his best match of the week but it was enough to come through in straight sets and that’s all you can ask.”
Ilie Nastase Group
Tale of the Tape
Fritz dumps out De Minaur
Fritz moved a step closer to the semi-finals after the American overcame tough resistance from De Minaur in their last round-robin game.
Fritz and De Minaur played some entertaining tennis in the opening set, including a 30-shot rally which the Australian won with a blistering passing shot.
De Minaur converted the all-important break at 5-5 and then sealed the set with an ace, which also confirmed world No 1 Sinner as the first semi-finalist.
The 25-year-old Australian, however, needed to win the second set comfortably to stand a chance of advancing but he saw his slim hopes of going through evaporate when Fritz levelled up.
That was all the motivation a fired-up Fritz needed as he gained control of the decider while an ailing De Minaur crumbled physically in the first singles match of the week to go to three sets at Inalpi Arena.
“He was all over me (in the first set). What I did a great job of was in the second set, towards the end of the second set, I really started to find my serve,” Fritz said.
“I started serving much better and then that allowed me to just stay with it and create more pressure on his service games. It just gave me a little bit of comfort to just stay in the match and not be under so much pressure all the time.”
Seventh seed De Minaur, meanwhile, goes home without winning a single match in the Ilie Nastase group on his tournament debut.
Tale of the Tape
Fritz wins by season
Wimbledon champions Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara produced an inspired comeback over 2020 champions Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic to eliminate them from the season finale.
They sealed an impressive 4-6 6-3 12-10 win to maintain their perfect 3-0 start to their team debut in Turin and ensured that they finished top of the Mike Bryan Group.
What’s happening Friday at the ATP Finals on Sky Sports Tennis?
- World No 2 Alexander Zverev takes on Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in the John Newcombe Group (from 1pm GMT).
- Casper Ruud faces Andrey Rublev with the Norwegian aiming for a spot in the semi-finals (not before 7.30pm).
Sky Sports+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TVstreaming service NOW and the Sky Sports appgiving Sky Sports customers access to over 50 per cent more live sport this year at no extra cost. Find out more here.
