'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Taylor Fritz’s continued dominance over Alexander Zverev has left tennis fans both surprised and thrilled. On Saturday, November 16, the American secured his fourth victory against the German since July, prevailing in a hard-fought three-set battle in the 2024 ATP Finals semifinals.
At the beginning of the year, Zverev led Fritz 4-3 and extended that lead after defeating him at the Masters 1000 event in Rome. However, Fritz has since dominated Zverev and taken the lead in their head-to-head.
Fritz defeated Zverev 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 6-3 in the fourth round in Wimbledon in July, 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(3) in the US Open quarterfinals in September, 6-4, 7-5 in the Laver Cup a few weeks later, before defeating him 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) in Turin on Saturday.
Trending
The World No. 5 started the match on the front foot, becoming the first player at the event to break Zverev's serve and win a set off him. The German, who topped the John Newcombe Group by winning three matches in straight sets, clawed back, winning the second set. However, Fritz reached his fifth final of the season by winning the third set via tiebreaker.
Zverev had been in impressive form throughout the tournament, days after his triumph at the Paris Masters. But Fritz's unrelenting success against him has sparked a mix of disbelief and humor among fans. One fan humorously suggested Fritz exists solely to ruin Zverev's 2024 campaign, writing:
"Highly enjoy that Taylor Fritz appears to have been put on this earth with the sole purpose of making Alexander Zverev's 2024 miserable."
Some fans pointed to Zverev’s apparent struggles in handling this rivalry mentally.
"Zverev has some mental issue in this match up," one fan wrote.
"This has to be a mental thing from Zverev because of their h2h recently. Taylor shouldn’t have won this match given Zverev form in this tournament and Paris," another fan wrote.
One fan expressed sheer excitement at Fritz having Zverev's "number," writing:
"Fritz has Zverev’s number and I am HERE FOR IT"
Here are a few more fan reactions to Taylor Fritz defeating Alexander Zverev and reaching the ATP Finals final.
"Zverev is gonna have to start calling Taylor daddy" one fan joked.
"Zverev just doesn’t know how to beat Fritz anymore," yet another fan wrote.
"Things can change so quickly when you're playing someone like Alexander Zverev" - Taylor Fritz assesses his ATP Finals 2024 SF win
After yet another impressive victory over Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz shared his thoughts during the post-match interview, offering insight into his performance.
"I felt like I played an almost perfect first set, but things can change so quickly when you're playing someone like Sascha," Fritz said (via ATP Tour). "I found myself in some tough spots in the third, when we both started to get on each other's serves even more."
"When I was trying to be aggressive I didn't feel like it was doing much. I just told myself at the end that I had to fight and be solid and tried to take care of my serve the best I could and give him absolutely nothing from the back," he added.
At the US Open, Fritz had become the first American male to reach a singles Grand Slam final in over 15 years. At the ATP Finals, he became the first American male to reach the year-end championship singles finals in 18 years. He will now await the winner of the semifinal between Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud.
