Taylor Fritz breaks 18-year American record after beating Alexander Zverev to reach the ATP Finals championship match

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Taylor Fritz achieved something no American man has managed in 18 years after beating Alexander Zverev at the ATP Finals.

The 27-year-old prevailed in an epic three-set battle against the World number two to book his spot in the final of the season-ending championships.

The American fired 32 winners in the two-hour, 20-minute match and he brought Zverev’s eight-match winning streak to an end.

Fritz has advanced to the ATP Finals championship match for the first time and will face either Casper Ruud or World number one Jannik Sinner.

Which American record did Taylor Fritz break at the ATP Finals?

Taylor Fritz was made to work hard for his fourth successive victory over Alexander Zverev.

He played a flawless first set and took the lead, but more errors began to spring from his racket and Zverev took full advantage of it to level the match.

The third set was a fight right until the end and after saving multiple break points on serve, Fritz played a solid tiebreaker to claim a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) win.

This victory ensured Fritz became the first American man since James Blake in 2006 to reach the ATP Finals championship match.

That year the hard hitting player took on Roger Federer, who he dispatched 6–0, 6–3, 6–4 to end arguably the greatest season of his career.

Taylor Fritz reacts to ATP Finals win over Alexander Zverev

Fritz roared with delight after he outlasted Zverev in what is arguably the best match of the 2024 ATP Finals so far.

He became the first player to break Zverev’s serve this week and he has now won seven of their 12 meetings against one another.

Fritz is now guaranteed to finish the year inside the top five and he is the first American to achieve this feat since James Blake in 2006.

“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 post-match.

“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.”