World No. 6 Taylor Fritz needed just an hour and 42 minutes to take care of business against Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti at the ATP Finals in Turin on Monday. In front of a packed and partisan crowd at the Inalpi Arena, the American put on a clinic of disciplined, aggressive baseline tennis, keeping his cool from start to finish to cruise to a 6-3, 6-4 victory and quiet the home fans in style.

Played on the hard courts of Turin, a surface that’s treated both players differently this season, the matchup tilted in Fritz’s favor from the start. Coming in as the favorite, the 28-year-old American finally showed what clicked this time. After three tough losses to the Italian, Fritz opened up on what really worked against Lorenzo Musetti and what finally turned things around.

After the match, Taylor Fritz was asked about finally getting past Lorenzo Musetti after three straight losses. The American, smiling and relaxed, admitted that it wasn’t so much about strategy as it was about execution. “I don’t know if it’s strategic,” he said. “I think it’s just the things that I want to do against him work on a fast court.”

Fritz also explained that his game plan has always been harder to pull off on slower surfaces, where Musetti’s touch and variety make it tougher to stay aggressive. He even pointed out their Wimbledon meeting, saying, “He did get me the one time at Wimbledon, but with the grass, that almost helped him a bit too.” On grass, Musetti’s low slices forced Fritz to lift the ball more, limiting his ability to hit through the court.

But in Turin, Taylor Fritz mentioned that things were different. The fast indoor hard court gave Fritz the edge he needed to play his natural attacking style. “I feel like this court’s fast… I didn’t have to redline off his chips to hurt him and stay aggressive,” he said. For Fritz, the key was all about court speed as it allowed him to rush Musetti, dictate the pace, and finally flip the script in their head-to-head.

Anyway, the American’s record at the season-ending finals speaks for itself too – as a finalist last year and a semifinalist on debut in 2022. Coming into Turin early, Fritz gave himself plenty of time to adjust to the conditions, unlike Musetti, who landed only on Sunday after losing to Novak Djokovic in the Athens final the night before. The extra preparation seemed to pay off, as Fritz looked sharp and composed from the very first ball.

“I’m really happy. I thought I did a lot of things really well,” Taylor Fritz said after the win. “I did a great job early on to serve my way out of trouble and save some break points. The whole second set I played well and had a lot of chances to break that I didn’t get. I’m just happy I was able to serve it out and not let it slip away.” And backing up that assessment was none other than Brad Gilbert, Coco Gauff’s former coach, who agreed that Fritz’s level looked rock solid from start to finish.

Taylor Fritz’s unshakable consistency is hard not to admire

Ahead of the ATP Finals, Gilbert shared his thoughts on Taylor Fritz’s growth during an appearance on Gill Gross Shorts. He admitted that Fritz’s remarkable steadiness has genuinely impressed him.

In a sport where form and momentum often shift overnight, Gilbert pointed out how rare it is for a player to stay in the mix year after year. “Fritz has surprised me,” he said. “This is his third consecutive year that he is where he is… the guy is top five almost now, three straight years.” Gilbert then went on to compare Fritz’s consistency to that of former greats like Nikolay Davydenko, David Ferrer, and Tomáš Berdych, players known for always being in contention, even in an era dominated by legends.

“He’s kind of starting to get into that level,” Gilbert explained, noting that Fritz has carved out a space of his own just behind the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner.

For Gilbert, what stands out most isn’t just the ranking. It’s the very determination behind it. “He’s willed himself into being a great player. The results don’t lie,” he said with admiration. So now, as Fritz gears up to face Carlos Alcaraz next, fans will be eager to see whether that same grit and self-belief can power him to another statement win on the sport’s biggest stage.