Taylor Fritz's remarkable season continued as he edged past Alexander Zverev in a gripping contest to secure his maiden appearance in the ATP Finals final. In a clash of two of the world's premier servers, Fritz managed to narrowly overcome Zverev 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4). This latest triumph propels Fritz to No 4 in the ATP live rankings, and barring a title win for Casper Ruud, he is poised to achieve a new career-high ranking on Monday.
Having already reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open, Fritz is now set to vie for the most prestigious title of his career against either world No 1 Jannik Sinner or Ruud. At 27, he becomes the first American to reach the final since James Blake in 2006.
Fritz advanced to the semi-finals after finishing as runner-up in his round-robin group, behind the dominant Sinner. Conversely, Zverev had secured victories in all three of his group matches, including a straight-sets win over Carlos Alcaraz on Friday. However, by winning his group, Zverev was pitted against his recent nemesis. Fritz has now triumphed over the German in four consecutive meetings, including at Wimbledon and the US Open quarter-finals. This run has reversed their head-to-head record, with Fritz now leading 7-5.
Meanwhile, Zverev concludes one of his finest seasons, having claimed two Masters 1000 titles and a tour-leading 69 matches. Despite finishing the season at his career-high ranking of No 2, he has been outshone by his closest rivals in key matches this year.
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