American tennis star Taylor Fritz squared off against Jannik Sinner for the second time in as many months, and believes he produced a better performance than when they clashed at the 2024 US Open final.
Fritz battled Sinner in the group stage of the ATP Finals on Tuesday, seeking revenge for his loss at Flushing Meadows. However, an in-form Sinner was again too much for the top-ranked American, brushing past his opponent with a 6-4 6-4 victory.
Although Fritz put on a solid performance against the Italian, he was unable to get past the World No.1's impressive defense. Furthermore, the Turin crowd was completely behind their champion, as opposed to their encounter in New York, where the crowd favored Fritz.
Reflecting on his performance after the match, Fritz admitted to playing better their second time around. The California native believes he could have taken this encounter, but Sinner played better at the big moments.
"Yeah, I think even though the result's the same and the scores not even that different, the matches felt very, very different," said Fritz. "Today, I felt like from the ground we were pretty even. to be honest.
"Yeah, I did a really good job I felt from the ground today. For all of the match, I didn't feel overwhelmed. I felt like I was right there."
Taylor Frirz has compared tonight's match to the US Open final pic.twitter.com/3WorvWyUBo
— Mario Boccardi (@marioboc17) November 12, 2024