TURIN, Italy: Top-ranked Jannik Sinner made it two wins in two matches before his home fans at the ATP Finals, beating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday in a rematch of the US Open final that the Italian also won in straight sets.
As the crowd chanted “Ole, Ole, Ole; Sin-ner, Sin-ner,” the home favorite gave them just what they came for by turning up his intensity when it mattered most.
Sinner survived a marathon service game midway through the first set then broke his American opponent with a huge forehand up the line on his first set point.
When Sinner produced a backhand passing shot up the line while on the run midway through the second set, he held his finger up to his ear to encourage the crowd to cheer louder.
Sinner, who beat Alex de Minaur in his opening match at the season-ending event for the top eight players, improved to 23-1 in his last five tournaments.
Earlier, Daniil Medvedev moved back into contention with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over De Minaur following a temper tantrum in his previous match.
Medvedev didn’t face a single break point and was generally much sharper than in his straight-set loss to Fritz on Sunday — during which he smashed his racket and lost his cool twice.
Sinner leads the group while Fritz and Medvedev are next with one win each.
De Minaur, who is making his debut at finals, lost both of his opening matches.
The top two finishers from each round-robin group advance to the semifinals.
On Thursday, Medvedev faces Sinner and De Minaur plays Fritz in the final matches of the group.
In the other group on Monday, Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud beat Andrey Rublev and Carlos Alcaraz, respectively.
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. A final ruling in the case is expected early next year.
Medvedev had to ‘block the noise’ after temper tantrum
When his match was over, Medvedev closed his eyes and held his fingers to his ears. Then he wrote on a camera lens, “Block the noise.”
“I went into this match also blocking the noise even from myself,” Medvedev said. “No like tantrums and stuff. Just block the noise. And I really didn’t care what was happening on the court. I just tried to play and it was a good feeling.”
Medvedev won the finals in 2020 — the last edition held in London.
“The more popular you become, the more fans you get, the more haters you get, the more attention you get. And sometimes even the good noise can make you off balance,” Medvedev said.
“You know, you win everything and everyone thinks you’re a god. ... Then you lose two matches and everyone is like, ‘Finished, your career is finished.’ So sometimes it’s good just (to) block it,” Medvedev added.
Sinner beats Fritz again in rematch of US Open final. Medvedev back in contention at ATP Finals
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Sinner beats Fritz again in rematch of US Open final. Medvedev back in contention at ATP Finals
- Sinner, who beat Alex de Minaur in his opening match at the season-ending event for the top eight players, improved to 23-1 in his last five tournaments
Kane nets double as Bundesliga leaders Bayern beat Frankfurt
- Aleksandar Pavlovic’s low strike gave Bayern the lead and Kane added goals either side of half-time
- Bayern captain Joshua Kimmich gifted Frankfurt’s Arnaud Kalimuendo a late goal with a poor pass
MUNICH: Harry Kane scored his third straight Bundesliga brace as Bayern Munich beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2 on Saturday to move nine points clear of chasers Borussia Dortmund atop the table.
Dortmund, who have won six consecutive Bundesliga matches, play at RB Leipzig in Saturday’s late game.
Aleksandar Pavlovic’s low strike gave Bayern the lead and Kane added goals either side of half-time, before giving away a penalty converted by Germany forward Jonathan Burkardt with 13 minutes remaining.
Bayern captain Joshua Kimmich gifted Frankfurt’s Arnaud Kalimuendo a late goal with a poor pass but the hosts held on.
Kane has now scored more than one goal in a match 13 times this season in all competitions.
The England captain has netted 28 goals in 23 Bundesliga appearances and 43 in total this campaign.
The only negative for Bayern was a second-half injury to wing-back Alphonso Davies.
The Canada captain, who returned after eight months out with an ACL injury in December, clutched his ankle after a tackle and pulled his jersey over his face as he was substituted.
Bayern earlier burst out of the blocks and Pavlovic broke through on 16 minutes.
The Germany midfielder latched onto a failed clearance and blasted in a low shot, which slipped through Frankfurt goalkeeper Kaua Santos’ fingers and trickled over the line.
Kane doubled Bayern’s lead four minutes later, heading in a corner from close range.
The England captain added another midway through the second half, sneaking the ball just inside the post with his left foot.
Burkardt’s penalty looked a mere consolation until Kalimuendo jumped on Kimmich’s mistake to cut Bayern’s lead to one with four minutes remaining, but the hosts kept Frankfurt at arm’s length in the final stages.
Bayer Leverkusen’s top-four hopes took a hit with a 1-0 defeat at Union Berlin, days after an impressive Champions League win at Olympiacos.
Home captain Rani Khedira overpowered former Union midfielder Robert Andrich to pounce on a loose ball and hammer home in the 28th minute.
The defeat leaves Leverkusen in sixth, three points behind fourth-placed Stuttgart.
Elsewhere, third-placed Hoffenheim dropped points for just the second time in eight matches in a 2-2 draw at Cologne.
Cologne took the lead thanks to an incredible bicycle kick from Ragnar Ache but Hoffenheim hit back either side of the break to take the lead thanks to goals from Ozan Kabak and Andrej Kramaric.
Teenage winger Said El Mala put Cologne level with an excellent solo goal on 63 minutes and the hosts held on to grab a valuable point against the in-form visitors.
Augsburg were behind twice but won 3-2 at Wolfsburg, with Elvis Rexhbecaj scoring in stoppage time to lift the visitors nine points clear of the relegation play-off place.
