Jannik Sinner qualifies for semis at ATP Finals while Taylor Fritz has to wait after beating De Minaur

TURIN(ITALY): Top-ranked Jannik Sinner became the first player to advance to the semifinals at the ATP Finals on Thursday. U.S. Open finalist Taylor Fritz, meanwhile, needs to wait to find out if he's in or out.

Sinner was assured of a spot in the last four after Fritz rallied past Alex de Minaur 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in their group.

Sinner won his opening two matches and plays Daniil Medvedev later. Last year, Sinner lost the final to Novak Djokovic, who pulled out injured this year.

Fritz also has two wins, while Medvedev is still in contention and could get to two wins by beating Sinner. De Minaur was mathematically eliminated without any wins in his finals debut.

The top two finishers in each group advance to the semifinals. The Sinner-Medvedev match will determine whether the other qualifier is Fritz or Medvedev.

“If I don’t get through it’s going to be tough because I did play two very good matches and lost to the best player in the world,” Fritz said of his defeat to Sinner. “But if that happens I’m happy with my week and I’ll leave with my head held high. But I’ll definitely be checking in on the score tonight.”

Alexander Zverev leads the other group ahead of Casper Ruud, Carlos Alcaraz and Andrey Rublev.

Fritz improved to 4-5 in his career against De Minaur and could pull level next week in a quarterfinal matchup between the United States and Australia at the Davis Cup Finals.

“I feel like he typically plays better in the team environment. I also feel like I play better in the team environment," Fritz said. "It’s still going to be a nightmare to play him next week, too.”