Novak Djokovic beats Taylor Fritz to reach final of ATP Finals

Novak Djokovic kept his bid for a record-equaling sixth ATP Finals title alive by beating Taylor Fritz of the United States on Saturday to reach the final of the prestigious season-ending tournament.

Djokovic, who went unbeaten through the group stage, won 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) in just under two hours in Turin, securing the win on his second match point.

He has now won all six of his encounters against the 25-year-old Fritz.

The Serb will face either third-seeded Casper Ruud or Andrey Rublev in Sunday’s final as he attempts to win his first title at the event since 2015 and match Roger Federer’s record.

Djokovic had to recover quickly from a gruelling three-hour win over Daniil Medvedev in his final group match, which had ended less than 24 hours previously.

A spirited showing from Fritz saw him recover from a breakdown in the first set. The American also broke in the opening game of the second and he appeared to be on the verge of levelling the match when he surged into a 5-3 lead.

But Djokovic broke back and again found a way to pull through the tiebreaker.

As well as possibly matching Federer’s record, Djokovic also stands to claim the largest payday in tennis history on Sunday, with $4,740,300 on offer for claiming the ATP Finals trophy undefeated.