Turin, Nov 10 (NationPress) American Taylor Fritz kicked off his ATP Tour Finals campaign with a thrilling victory over Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the inaugural group match on Monday. This win put a damper on Musetti's much-anticipated ATP Finals debut, as Fritz showcased a dominant performance that left the vibrant crowd at the Inalpi Arena in Turin in awe.

Employing a mix of discipline and controlled aggression, Fritz controlled the baseline play to clinch a decisive 6-3, 6-4 victory against the Italian player.

Having previously reached the championship match last year and the semifinals in his debut in 2022, Fritz brought a wealth of experience to the season finale. The 28-year-old arrived in northern Italy a week prior, unlike Musetti, who landed in Turin just on Sunday after his loss to Novak Djokovic in the Athens final the night before.

Thanks to a full week of preparation, Fritz appeared more at ease in the indoor setting. The sixth seed aggressively stepped inside the baseline to take early control, redirecting pace and keeping Musetti on the defensive. While the Italian exhibited moments of brilliance in his efforts, he mostly found himself retreating, unable to take charge against Fritz's sharp, flat groundstrokes.

“I am truly pleased with my performance. I executed many things effectively,” Fritz stated. “I managed to serve my way out of trouble early on and save several break points. Overall, I played well in the second set and created numerous break opportunities that I didn’t capitalize on. I’m just glad I managed to serve it out without any issues.”

Fritz concluded the match with a performance rating of 9.20, significantly higher than his 8.28 Tour average in 2025. After a strong opening set, he secured a vital break in the second set at 1-1 when Musetti committed two consecutive double faults from 40/30, followed by a wide backhand on break point. Fritz kept his composure while serving out the match, recovering from 0/30 at 5-4 to secure victory after one hour and 43 minutes.

Now standing at 1-0 in the Jimmy Connors group, Fritz is set to face Carlos Alcaraz and Alex de Minaur in the round-robin stage in Turin. Alcaraz, who is vying for his first Nitto ATP Finals title, recently defeated De Minaur to commence his quest for the ATP Year-End No. 1 title.

This season has been a landmark for Musetti, who qualified for the year-end event for the first time, reaching tour-level finals in Monte-Carlo, Chengdu, and Athens. The 23-year-old is accompanied by fellow countryman and World No. 2 Jannik Sinner in Turin, who will begin his title defense against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday night.