Sinner breaks: Sinner* 6-4, 3-2 Fritz (*denotes next server)

Risky, risky play from Fritz at 30-all and it doesn’t pay off. 30-40. Fritz cannot afford to be broken here. He saves the break point, but Sinner is back at him again straight away, turning defence into attack with a bullet of a backhand that a flailing Fritz can’t get back into play. Advantage Sinner. Break Sinner, as Fritz hoiks a forehand long. Fritz just can’t breathe out there. He’s very much in the danger zone now, while Sinner is sensing victory.

Oh the japes.

Second set: Sinner 6-4, 2-2 Fritz* (*denotes next server)

At 30-0, a collective groan as Sinner hits long. He blows on his sweaty hands, bounces the ball (which always sounds just that bit louder indoors), and then a squeaky-shoed rally ends with Fritz running forward … and planting his forehand volley into the net. The American smiles wryly and plays the shot again with his racket, between points, just to reset. Not that it helps. Sinner holds.

Second set: Sinner* 6-4, 1-2 Fritz (*denotes next server)

What can Fritz do differently here? I’m not sure there’s much, especially when Sinner is in this serving form. Again, as on Tuesday in their group match, Fritz is playing well, it’s just that Sinner is playing slightly better. That’s why Sinner is the best player in the world right now. Perhaps Fritz needs to channel his inner Djokovic and imagine the crowd are shouting “Fritz, Fritz, Fritz.” The tables have certainly turned from the US Open final, when Fritz had best part of 23,000 spectators on his side, and it still wasn’t enough. Fritz, though, does hold here to 15.

Second set: Sinner 6-4, 1-1 Fritz* (*denotes next server)

Fritz finds his feet at the start of the second set to hold to 30. But he can’t make any inroads on Sinner’s serve. A 12th ace takes the Italian to 40-0. And a wild forehand from Fritz ends the game.

It’s all going on. Over in Malaga at the Billie Jean King Cup, Emma Raducanu has put Britain 1-0 up in their quarter-final against the defending champions Canada, fending off seven break points in the second set to defeat Rebecca Marino 6-0, 7-5. It’s now over to Katie Boulter to try to finish the tie off against Leylah Fernandez, the player Raducanu beat in the 2021 US Open final.

Sinner wins the first set 6-4

First set: Sinner* 5-4 Fritz (*denotes next server)

15-0, 30-0, 40-0, game. There’s nothing giving here, as Fritz does at least force Sinner to serve this set out.

First set: Sinner 5-3 Fritz* (*denotes next server)

“OLE OLE OLE OLE SINNER, SINNER! OLE OLE OLE OLE SINNER, SINNER!” chant the crowd at the changeover. I’ve never seen so many screaming humans dressed as carrots. Once they settle, Sinner smoothly moves to 30-0. And soon 40-0. He still hasn’t dropped a point behind his first serve. And that’s the game as he backs up the break. He’s out-serving one of the best servers in the game here.

Sinner breaks: Sinner* 4-3 Fritz (*denotes next server)

How much of a factor will the 12,000-strong pro-Sinner crowd be tonight? I think you can argue it both ways. Yes, Fritz is not only having to play the world No 1 but also the crowd – but you could also argue it takes the pressure off in some ways because he’s very much the underdog. The cheers of the crowd must be ringing in his ears, though, as he hits long to gift Sinner two break points at 15-40, the first break points of the match. A big serve out wide … Sinner scoops it back … and Fritz goes back behind a stumbling Sinner for the winner! Smart. And an ace out wide drags Fritz to deuce.

Advantage Fritz, after Sinner shanks his shot. Deuce. Advantage Sinner, a third break point. The best point of the match so far, as the pair go backwards and forwards and left and right and trade half volleys … and Fritz finally emerges victorious! Deuce. Advantage Fritz. Deuce. Advantage Sinner, a fourth break point. And this time Sinner takes it as he whips the crowd into an Italian frenzy with the shrewdest of drop shots!

First set: Sinner 3-3 Fritz* (*denotes next server)

Fritz makes an early dent on Sinner’s serve for 0-15. Sinner swiftly responds for 30-15. The Italian’s up to four aces now; his serving has been exceptional so far, and he’s still 100% for first-serve points won. A 16-shot rally and Sinner prevails in that too. Fritz attempts to pass Sinner at the net but drags his backhand wide. Sinner holds to 15.

First set: *Sinner 2-3 Fritz (*denotes next server)

Sinner ends the run of points for the server by showing off his superb defence for 0-15. And he’s got a chance on a second serve on the second point. Sinner makes Fritz pay for the short ball by stepping in and ramming away the forehand winner for 0-30. But Fritz fends off the attack with two serve bombs. 30-all. And from there the world No 5 holds. And the good news is he doesn’t seem at all intimated by the big occasion. This is a more assured start than he made in the US Open final against Sinner.

First set: Sinner 2-2 Fritz* (*denotes next server)

The first-serve stats here from both players are hugely impressive. Sinner has landed 71% of his first serves, winning 100% of those points. And Fritz has made 90% of his first serves, claiming 78% of those points. This game sticks to the same script, with Sinner securing his second consecutive hold to love.

First set: *Sinner 1-2 Fritz (*denotes next server)

But here’s an effortless service game from Fritz, as he too holds to love with a short, sharp response. This is turning into an early serving shootout.

First set: Sinner 1-1 Fritz* (*denotes next server)

15-0. Cheer. 30-0. An even bigger cheer. 40-0. The stadium erupts. Game Sinner, as the applauding fans wearing neon orange in tribute to their hero are illuminated by the stadium’s UV lights. Two aces from Sinner already and Fritz didn’t get a look-in in that game. Whatever Fritz can do on serve, Sinner seems determined to show he can do better.

First set: Sinner* 0-1 Fritz (*denotes next server)

So it’s Fritz who steps up to serve first. The American quickly shows that he’s got one of the best serves in the business with an ace on the opening point. He backs that up with a backhand cross-court winner, a shot that worked so well against Zverev in the semi-finals yesterday. Sinner then comes up with a backhand winner of his own, this one down the line. 30-15. 30-all. 40-30, as Fritz takes matters into his own hands by coming into the net and putting away the volley. Fritz gets his name on the board when Sinner smacks a backhand into the net. A strong start from Fritz; he knows he can’t allow Sinner, of all players, a head start.

So does Fritz need to do anything different to his group-stage defeat by Sinner? I don’t think so – he performed well on Tuesday, backing up his serve with controlled aggression from the baseline, and standing up to Sinner’s clean, consistent and clinical ball striking. There wasn’t much in it – Fritz just played a few bad points on serve in the final game of each set. The American will approach this match with the same gameplan – as will Sinner. I’m backing Sinner to make it a double over Fritz, but if we’re lucky we may get three sets this evening.

A lanky Sinner strides to the net, does a few groin stretches for good measure and the pair pose for the pre-match photos. I’m not sure who won the coin toss there; I couldn’t pick it up from the on-court microphones. It’s hard to hear much over this crowd.

The fans have been loud this week – but Sinner’s entrance, a couple of minutes after Fritz, is another level as 12,000 spectators rise to their feet to salute their numero uno, with the stands teeming with orange wigs, Italian flags and of course the die-hard carrots. There isn’t a spare seat in the house.

Darkness has descended in the Inalpi Arena and Virginia Bocelli returns to sing the Italian national anthem. And for the last time this week we’ve got the giant screens showing a tennis ball bouncing to the sound of a heartbeat. Sinner and Fritz’s hearts must be beating pretty loudly too right now. They’re waiting in the wings as montages of both players are played to the crowd.

Raducanu’s got the first set on the board in Malaga, 6-0 over Rebecca Marino in just 28 minutes. Marino leads 2-1 on serve in the second.

The players haven’t arrived on court yet but there’s already been a spine-tingling moment with Virginia Bocelli, the 12-year-old daughter of the Italian great Andrea Boccelli, signing a rousing version of You Raise Me Up. Sinner and Fritz should be out in a few minutes.

Fritz says:

I trust my game and I trust my level. I don’t feel anywhere near as uncomfortable in these situations any more because I’ve been putting myself in these situations against the top guys at big events a lot lately. I’m really confident in my game.

The US Open final felt like I was kind of just trying to keep myself in with my serve, stay alive, win points by hitting big shots or playing off of his errors. Kind of just like not repeatable, consistent ways to win points.

The match we played here, I felt much more comfortable from the baseline. I had my chances in that match. I had chances to break him in both sets. He had an equal amount of chances, and he took his. He played the big points better than I did in the group stage match.

Sinner says:

Very similar circumstances and moments because we played already in the round robin and now the final but I just try to play the best I can [today]. Everything can happen. I’m just happy to be back here [in the final]. From last year now, I feel like I have more experience, I’ve grown as a player and hopefully [today] is going to be a good day. If not, again, a very positive week. This year has been a very positive year so I’m very happy.

Road to the final.

Sinner, with his 100% record, will be feeling the fresher of the two, especially after dropping only three games yesterday in his total destruction of Casper Ruud. “Jannik hits a faster ball than Novak. He doesn’t let you breathe. Every kind of groundstroke feels like rockets,” was Ruud’s reaction.

Sinner
Group stage
Won v Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4
Won v Fritz 6-4, 6-4
Won v Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-4
Semi-final
Won v Ruud 6-1, 6-2

Fritz
Group stage
Won v Medvedev 6-4, 6-3
Lost v Sinner 6-4, 6-4
Won v De Minaur 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
Semi-final
Won v Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3)

Back to Turin, and Fritz is the first American to reach the season-ending final since 2006, when James Blake lost to Roger Federer, while Pete Sampras was the last player from the US to win the title in 1999 when he beat his compatriot Andre Agassi in Hanover. There’s a signature Sampras slam duck or two and a peak Agassi backhand winner or two or three in these highlights.

Australia are out though:

Meanwhile over in Malaga, Britain, who have never won the Billie Jean King Cup, are facing defending champions Canada in the last eight. The first match between Emma Raducanu and Rebecca Marino is under way and Raducanu’s raced into a 4-0 lead in the opening set. Katie Boulter v Leylah Fernandez will follow, with a potential doubles between Olivia Nicholls/Heather Watson and Fernandez/Gaby Dabrowski if needed to decide the tie.

Our tennis correspondent Tumaini Carayol is there:

The doubles champions have already been crowned in Turin, with the eighth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Pütz shocking the world No 1 pairing of Croatia’s Mate Pavic and El Salvador’s Marcelo Arévalo, who knocked out Britain’s Wimbledon champion Henry Patten and his Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara yesterday. Krawietz and Pütz won 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) to become the first Germans to claim the season-ending title.

Preamble