Novak Djokovic closed in on his 100th ATP title on Saturday as the Serb saw off American seventh seed Taylor Fritz 6-4, 7-6 to reach the Shanghai Masters final.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion will contest a fifth Shanghai final, seeking a fifth title at the tournament and his milestone 100th ATP victory. He faces top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who earlier Saturday sealed the year-end world No. 1 position when he beat Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-5.
Djokovic, now 10-0 against Fritz, powered his way thanks to his big backhand to an early break of serve in the first set and never looked back. Fritz had his moments in the second set but couldn’t capitalize at the important times as Djokovic closed it out in a tiebreak despite requiring on-court treatment for a hip problem.
“Taylor is in great form, and I knew it would be a tough test. I’m glad I avoided a third set,” Djokovic said afterward.
While Sinner won the hard-fought battle against Machac to become the first Italian to close out the year at world No. 1, the Italian has been enjoying this season in style, capturing his first Grand Slam titles in the Australian Open and US Open, searching for his seventh title of the year on Sunday.
