Sinner beats Fritz again in rematch of US Open final. Medvedev back in contention at ATP Finals

TURIN, Italy (AP) — The soccer-like “Ole” chants. The vast array of fans dressed in his theme color of orange. The banners and signs — one of which declared, “Sinner for president.”

Late in the second set of his victory over Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals on Tuesday, Jannik Sinner used all the adulation in his home country to his advantage.

When the top-ranked player produced a backhand passing shot up the line while on the run, he held his finger up to his ear to encourage the crowd to cheer louder.

“I read a little bit where he was playing and I just tried to pass him somehow because if not, it would have been a very easy volley for him,” Sinner said. “The crowd is helping me a lot. This is a very special occasion for me.

“I’ve always liked playing at home. If you like the fans and the people supporting you, it’s a big help,” Sinner added.

Sinner made it two wins in two matches before his home fans at the finals, beating Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in a rematch of the U.S. Open final that the Italian also won in straight sets.

Sinner turned up his intensity when it mattered most. He survived a marathon service game midway through the first set then broke his American opponent with a huge forehand up the line on his first set point.

During and after the match, the crowd inside Inalpi arena chanted, “Ole, Ole, Ole; Sin-ner, Sin-ner.”

Sinner saved the only break point that he faced and nearly matched Fritz with six aces to the American’s seven.

But Fritz tested Sinner over two close sets and thought his performance was a step up from the U.S. Open final.

“There’s a lot of positives I can take out of it,” Fritz said. “For all of the match, I didn’t feel overwhelmed. I felt like I was right there.”

Sinner, who beat Alex de Minaur in his opening match at the season-ending event for the top eight players, improved to 23-1 in his last five tournaments.

Earlier, Daniil Medvedev moved back into contention with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over De Minaur following a temper tantrum in his previous match.

Medvedev didn’t face a single break point and was generally much sharper than in his straight-set loss to Fritz on Sunday — during which he smashed his racket and lost his cool twice.

Sinner leads the group while Fritz and Medvedev are next with one win each.

De Minaur, who is making his debut at finals, lost both of his opening matches.

The top two finishers from each round-robin group advance to the semifinals.

On Thursday, Medvedev faces Sinner and De Minaur plays Fritz in the final matches of the group.

In the other group on Monday, Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud beat Andrey Rublev and Carlos Alcaraz, respectively.

Sinner is playing at home for the first time since it was announced before his U.S. Open title that he tested positive in two separate drug tests this year.

A decision to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September. A final ruling in the case is expected early next year.

When his match was over, Medvedev closed his eyes and held his fingers to his ears. Then he wrote on a camera lens, “Block the noise.”

“I went into this match also blocking the noise even from myself,” Medvedev said. “No like tantrums and stuff. Just block the noise. And I really didn’t care what was happening on the court. I just tried to play and it was a good feeling."

Medvedev won the finals in 2020 — the last edition held in London.

“The more popular you become, the more fans you get, the more haters you get, the more attention you get. And sometimes even the good noise can make you off balance,” Medvedev said.

“You know, you win everything and everyone thinks you’re a god. ... Then you lose two matches and everyone is like, ‘Finished, your career is finished.’ So sometimes it’s good just (to) block it,” Medvedev added.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

United States' Taylor Fritz returns the ball to Italy's Jannik Sinner during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to United States' Taylor Fritz during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

United States' Taylor Fritz reacts during the singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Italy's Jannik Sinner, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to United States' Taylor Fritz during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner celebrates after winning the singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals against United States' Taylor Fritz, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during the singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals against United States' Taylor Fritz, at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Jannik Sinner returns the ball to United States' Taylor Fritz during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Russia's Daniil Medvedev returns the ball to Australia's Alex de Minaur during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Russia's Daniil Medvedev Australia's Alex de Minaur returns the ball to Russia's Daniil Medvedev Australia's Alex de Minaur during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Australia's Alex de Minaur returns the ball to Russia's Daniil Medvedev during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Russia's Daniil Medvedev returns the ball to Australia's Alex de Minaur during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Australia's Alex de Minaur returns the ball to Russia's Daniil Medvedev during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Russia's Daniil Medvedev returns the ball to Australia's Alex de Minaur during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Russia's Daniil Medvedev Australia's Alex de Minaur returns the ball to Russia's Daniil Medvedev Australia's Alex de Minaur during their singles tennis match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

NEW YORK (AP) — As a Democrat who immersed himself in political news during the presidential campaign, Ziad Aunallah has much in common with many Americans since the election. He's tuned out.

“People are mentally exhausted,” said Aunallah, 45, of San Diego. “Everyone knows what is coming and we are just taking some time off.”

Television ratings — and now a new poll — clearly illustrate the phenomenon. About two-thirds of American adults say they have recently felt the need to limit media consumption about politics and government because of overload, according to the survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Smaller percentages of Americans are limiting their intake of news about overseas conflicts, the economy or climate change, the poll says. Politics stand out.

Election news on CNN and MSNBC was taking up too much of Sam Gude's time before the election, said the 47-year-old electrician from Lincoln, Nebraska. “The last thing I want to watch right now is the interregnum,” said Gude, a Democrat and no fan of President-elect Donald Trump.

The poll, conducted in early December, found that about 7 in 10 Democrats say they are stepping back from political news. The percentage isn't as high for Republicans, who have reason to celebrate Trump's victory. Still, about 6 in 10 Republicans say they've felt the need to take some time off too, and the share for independents is similar.

The differences are far starker for the TV networks that have been consumed by political news.

After election night through Dec. 13, the prime-time viewership of MSNBC was an average of 620,000, down 54% from the pre-election audience this year, the Nielsen company said. For the same time comparison, CNN's average of 405,000 viewers was down 45%.

At Fox News Channel, a favorite news network for Trump fans, the post-election average of 2.68 million viewers is up 13%, Nielsen said. Since the election, 72% of the people watching one of those three cable networks in the evening were watching Fox News, compared to 53% prior to election day.

A post-election slump for fans of the losing candidate is not a new trend for networks that have become heavily identified for a partisan audience. MSNBC had similar issues after Trump was elected in 2016. Same for Fox in 2020, although that was complicated by anger: many of its viewers were outraged then by the network's crucial election night call of Arizona for the Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden, and sought alternatives.

MSNBC had its own anger issues after several “Morning Joe” viewers became upset that hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski visited Trump shortly after his victory last month. Yet while the show's ratings are down 35% since Election Day, that's a smaller drop than the network's prime-time ratings.

CNN points out that while it has been suffering in the television ratings, its streaming and digital ratings have been consistent.

MSNBC can take some solace in history. In previous years, network ratings bounce back when the depression after an election loss lifts, When a new administration takes office, people who oppose it are frequently looking for a gathering place.

“I’ll be tuning back in once the clown show starts,” Aunallah said. “You have no choice. Whether or not you want to hear it, it's happening. If you care about your country, you have no choice but to pay attention.”

But the ride may not be smooth. MSNBC's slide is steeper than it was in 2016; and there's some question about whether Trump opponents will want to be as engaged as they were during his first term. People are also unplugging from cable television in rates that are only getting more rapid, although MSNBC believes it has bucked this trend eating away at audiences before.

The poll indicates that Americans want less talk about politics from public figures in general. After an election season where endorsements from celebrities like Taylor Swift made headlines, the survey found that Americans are more likely to disapprove than approve of celebrities, large companies and professional athletes speaking out about politics.

Still, Gude is among those discovering other ways to get news to which he does want to pay attention, including on YouTube.

MSNBC is also in the middle of some corporate upheaval that raises questions about potential changes. Parent company Comcast announced last month that the cable network is among some properties that will spin off into a new company, which will give MSNBC new corporate leadership and cut its ties to NBC News.

Some of the Americans who have turned away from political news lately also had some advice for getting them engaged again.

Gude said, for example, that MSNBC will always have a hard-core audience of Trump haters. But if the network wants to expand its audience, “then you have to talk about issues, and you have to stop talking about Trump.”

Kathleen Kendrick, a 36-year-old sales rep from Grand Junction, Colorado, who's a registered independent voter, said she hears plenty of people loudly spouting off about their political opinions on the job. She wants more depth when she watches the news. Much of what she sees is one-sided and shallow, she said.

“You get a story but only part of a story,” Kendrick said. “It would be nice if you could get both sides, and more research.”

Aunallah, similarly, is looking for more depth and variety. He's not interested “in watching the angry man on the corner yelling at me anymore,” he said.

“It's kind of their own fault that I'm not watching,” he said. “I felt they spent all this time talking about the election. They made it so much of their focus that when the main event ends, why would people want to keep watching?”

—-

The poll of 1,251  adults was conducted Dec. 5-9, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

—-

Sanders reported from Washington. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

FILE - Jim, left, and Tamara Hamilton watch former President Donald Trump speak on television on Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

FILE - People watch as television screens show Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump addressing supporters on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at Comet Tavern in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

FILE -Supporters of former President Donald Trump drink beers as they watch him speak on television on Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Seal Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

FILE - People watch TV screens showing a debate between Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right on screen, and Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, at Sports Grill Kendall, where the Miami-Dade Democratic Hispanic Caucus had organized a watch party, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)