ATP Finals, Taylor Fritz stuns Rafael Nadal: Key stats
What's the story
American star Taylor Fritz stunned Rafael Nadal on his ATP Finals debut on Sunday. The former claimed a 7-6(3), 6-1 win, which could deny Nadal the year-end championships title. Fritz has improved to 2-2 in his ATP head-to-head series against Nadal. Nadal has lost two successive games since Frances Tiafoe knocked him out of the US Open. Here are the key stats.
Stats
Key stats of the match
Fritz won a total of 70 points and 13 games in the match. He claimed as many as five games and seven points in a row. While Fritz won 24 receiving points, Nadal clinched half of them. Nadal recorded four double faults. Fritz registered a win percentage of 80 on the first serve and 88 on the second.
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Consecutive defeats for Nadal
Nadal has lost his last three matches (vs Fritz at the ATP Finals, vs Tommy Paul at Paris Masters, and vs Frances Tiafoe at the US Open). As per Opta, Nadal lost more consecutive matches in 2009 (four).
Form
Nadal's form this year
Before the US Open, Nadal was stunned by Borna Coric at the Cincinnati Masters. The former now has a 38-7 win-loss record this year. In January, the Spaniard defied all odds to win the Australian Open, claiming a record-breaking 21st major. Nadal then went to claim a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title. He opted out of Wimbledon semi-finals due to injury.
Title
Nadal eyes his maiden ATP Finals title
Nadal, vying for his maiden ATP Finals title, has Felix Auger-Aliassime as his next Green Group opponent. The former could still earn the year-end number spot in the ATP Rankings. However, Nadal would have to win the title in Turin. Earlier this year, Nadal returned to the top two (ATP Rankings) for the first time since May 3, 2021.
Fritz
Fritz eyes these milestones
As per ATP, Fritz has become the first American singles player to compete at the year-end championships since John Isner in 2018. He is vying to become the first American semi-finalist here since Jack Sock in 2017 (London). Fritz could also become the first finalist since James Blake in 2006 (Shanghai) and the first champion since Pete Sampras in 1999 (Hanover).