TURIN, Italy (AP) — Top-ranked Jannik Sinner added another big title to his tremendous year, beating U.S. Open runner-up Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday for the ATP Finals trophy before his home fans — and before a final verdict is reached in his doping case.
Sinner won his first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and U.S. Open in 2024 and had already clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking.
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Taylor Fritz of the United States returns to Italy's Jannik Sinner during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Taylor Fritz of the United States reacts during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Jannik Sinner returns to Taylor Fritz of the United States during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Jannik Sinner returns to Taylor Fritz of the United States during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Taylor Fritz of the United States reacts during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Jannik Sinner returns to Taylor Fritz of the United States during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Taylor Fritz of the United States at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
But Sinner also tested positive in two separate drug tests in March and a decision to clear him of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September. A final ruling is expected from the Court of Arbitration for Sport early next year.
Sinner’s explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger.
Sinner maintained his recent mastery over Fritz, having also beaten the American in the U.S. Open final in September and in the group stage this week at the elite event for the year’s top eight players.
By sweeping all five of his matches en route to the trophy, Sinner earned $4.8 million — the largest winner’s prize on the men’s tour.
Sinner became the first Italian to win the finals and he went one step further than last year, when he lost the championship match to Novak Djokovic, who withdrew this time. And he did so without dropping a set – which was last accomplished by Ivan Lendl in 1986.
The crowd inside Inalpi Arena included multiple clusters of fans wearing orange — a tribute to Sinner’s red- and orange-colored hair, and how he once ate carrots during a match. There were orange carrot costumes, orange wigs, orange hats, jackets and plenty of other orange items, too.
Some fans even had carrots in their mouths.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Taylor Fritz of the United States returns to Italy's Jannik Sinner during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Taylor Fritz of the United States reacts during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Jannik Sinner returns to Taylor Fritz of the United States during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Jannik Sinner returns to Taylor Fritz of the United States during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Taylor Fritz of the United States reacts during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Italy's Jannik Sinner at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Jannik Sinner returns to Taylor Fritz of the United States during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during the final match of the ATP World Tour Finals against Taylor Fritz of the United States at the Inalpi Arena, in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli strike early Sunday in Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza killed at least 30 people, the director of a hospital there told The Associated Press.
Hosam Abu Safiya with Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya also said there were dozens of wounded, and others likely were still under the rubble.
Fleeing residents told the AP that houses were hit.
An Israeli military statement earlier Sunday said it conducted several strikes on “terrorist targets” in Beit Lahiya. It said efforts to evacuate the civilian population from the “active war zone” there continued.
Israeli forces have again been on the offensive in northern Gaza, saying Hamas militants have regrouped there. Israel has been at war with the Palestinian Hamas for over a year.
“Tonight we did not sleep at all,” said one fleeing Beit Lahiya resident, Dalal al-Bakri. “They destroyed all the houses around us. ... There are many martyrs.”
A woman, Umm Hamza, said the bombing had escalated overnight. “It’s cold and we don’t know where to go,” she said.
Meanwhile, a rare Israeli airstrike on central Beirut killed Hezbollah's chief spokesman Sunday, an official with the militant group said.
The latest in targeted killings of senior Hezbollah officials came as Lebanese officials considered a United States-led cease-fire proposal. Israel also bombed several buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has long been headquartered, after warning people to evacuate.
Mohammed Afif, the head of media relations for Hezbollah, was killed in a strike on the Arab socialist Baath party's office in central Beirut, according to a Hezbollah official who was not authorized to brief reporters and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Afif had been especially visible after all-out war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah in September and the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike. Last month, Afif hastily wrapped up a press conference in Beirut ahead of Israeli strikes.
There was no Israeli evacuation warning before the strike near a busy intersection in central Beirut. An Associated Press photographer at the scene saw four bodies and four wounded people, but there was no official word on the toll. People could be seen fleeing. There was no comment from the Israeli military.
“I was asleep and awoke from the sound of the strike, and people screaming, and cars and gunfire," said Suheil Halabi, a witness. "I was startled, honestly. This is the first time I experience it so close.”
The last Israeli strike in central Beirut was on Oct. 10, when 22 people were killed in two locations.
Hezbollah began firing rockets, missiles and drones into Israel the day after Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack ignited the war in Gaza. Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes in Lebanon and the conflict steadily escalated, erupting into war in September. Israeli forces invaded Lebanon on Oct. 1.
Hezbollah has fired dozens of projectiles into Israel daily and expanded their range to central Israel. The attacks have killed at least 76 people, including 31 soldiers, and caused some 60,000 people to flee.
Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service said a teenager suffered blast injuries Sunday in Upper Galilee. Israel's military said about 15 projectiles had entered from Lebanon following sirens in the Galilee areas.
More than 3,400 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry, and over 1.2 million driven from their homes. It is not known how many of the dead are Hezbollah fighters.
Lebanon's army, largely on the sidelines, said an Israeli strike on Sunday hit a military center in southeastern Al-Mari, killing two soldiers and wounding two others. There was no immediate Israeli comment.
Earlier, officials said Israeli strikes killed six people in Nuseirat and four in Bureij, two built-up refugee camps in central Gaza dating back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation.
Two people were killed in a strike on Gaza’s main north-south highway, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah, which received all 12 bodies.
Israel’s military said two soldiers were killed in northern Gaza on Sunday.
The war between Israel and Hamas began after Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7. last year, killing about 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting around 250 others. Around 100 hostages remain in Gaza, about a third believed to be dead.
The Health Ministry in Gaza says around 43,800 Palestinians have been killed in the war. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities.
Around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians have been displaced, and large areas of the territory have been flattened by Israeli bombardment and ground operations.
Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts released Sunday from an upcoming book.
Israeli police arrested three suspects after two flares were fired overnight at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in the coastal city of Caesarea.
Netanyahu and his family were not there, authorities said. A drone launched by Hezbollah struck the residence last month, also when Netanyahu and his family were away.
The police did not provide details about the suspects, but officials pointed to domestic political critics of Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has faced months of mass protests. Critics blame him for the security and intelligence failures that allowed the Oct. 7 attack to happen and for not reaching a deal with Hamas to release hostages.
His government also faces anger from the ultra-Orthodox community over military draft notices. Some protested Sunday in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv after the government said 7,000 new notices would be issued.
Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin seized on the flare attack to call for a revival of his plans to overhaul the judiciary, which had sparked mass protests before the war.
“The time has come to provide full support for the restoration of the justice system and the law enforcement systems, and to put an end to anarchy, rampage, refusal and attempts to harm the prime minister,” he said in a statement.
Supporters said the judiciary changes aim to strengthen democracy by circumscribing the authority of unelected judges and turning over more powers to elected officials. Opponents see the overhaul as a power grab by Netanyahu, who is on trial on corruption charges and for an assault on a key watchdog.
Many Israelis believe the divisions caused by the attempted overhaul had weakened the country ahead of the Hamas assault.
Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip. Associated Press reporters Natalie Melzer in Tel Aviv, Israel, and Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed.
Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Israeli police officers disperse Ultra-Orthodox Jewish blocking a road during a protest against army recruitment in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men block a road during a protest against army recruitment in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men block a road during a protest against army recruitment in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
Smoke rises between buildings hit in a Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Rescuers evacuate a wounded man from the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit a building in central Beirut's Ras el-Nabaa neighborhood, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.(AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Rescuers evacuate a wounded woman from the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit a building in central Beirut's Ras el-Nabaa neighborhood, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Residents and rescuers gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that hit a building in central Beirut's Ras el-Nabaa neighborhood, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A Palestinian kid sorts through trash at a landfill in Zawaida, Gaza Strip, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
FILE - Hezbollah's chief spokesman Mohammed Afif speaks during a press conference in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
Residents and rescuers gather near a damaged building at the site of an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut's Ras el-Nabaa neighborhood, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Smoke rises from buildings hit in Israeli airstrikes in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Israeli security forces check a house hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon on Saturday, in Haifa, Israel, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israeli security forces check a house hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon on Saturday, in Haifa, Israel, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A destroyed building hit by a missile fired from Lebanon on Saturday, in Haifa, northern Israel, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A destroyed building hit by a missile fired from Lebanon on Saturday, in Haifa, northern Israel, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israeli security forces check a house hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon on Saturday, in Haifa, Israel, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A destroyed car that was hit by a missile fired from Lebanon on Saturday, in Haifa, northern Israel, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
A civil defense worker checks a building that collapsed after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Hadath, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Residents of a building damaged in an Israeli airstrike return to collect their belongings in Hadath, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A civil defense worker and civilians check a building that collapsed after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Hadath, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Civil defense workers check the site of a building that collapsed after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Hadath, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Civil defense workers check a building that collapsed after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Chiyah, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Residents run as smoke rises from a building that collapsed after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Chiyah, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises from a building collapsing after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Chiyah, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises from a building collapsing after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Chiyah, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A woman mourns over the bodies of victims from an Israeli airstrike outside a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Sunday Nov. 17, 2024. Palestinian medical officials reported Sunday that Israeli strikes overnight killed 12 people in Central Gaza. One child and five women were counted among them.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Men pray over the bodies of victims from an Israeli airstrike outside a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Sunday Nov. 17, 2024. Palestinian medical officials reported Sunday that Israeli strikes overnight killed 12 people in Central Gaza. One child and five women were counted among them.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A man carries a dead child, one of the victims from an Israeli airstrike, outside a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Sunday Nov. 17, 2024. Palestinian medical officials reported Sunday that Israeli strikes overnight killed 12 people in Central Gaza. One child and five women were counted among them.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A civil defense worker checks a building that collapsed after it was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Hadath, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises from a building that collapsed following an Israeli airstrike in Chiyah, south of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A woman mourns over the bodies of victims from an Israeli airstrike outside a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza, Sunday Nov. 17, 2024. Palestinian medical officials reported Sunday that Israeli strikes overnight killed 12 people in Central Gaza. One child and five women were counted among them.(AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Journalists film as smoke rises from a building hit in Israeli airstrikes in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Smoke rises from a building hit in an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in the southern village of Chamaa, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Smokes rise from buildings hit in Israeli airstrikes in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Smoke rises from a building hit in an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, southern Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A woman shouts slogans during a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People shout slogans during a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People gather to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People shout slogans during a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People shout slogans during a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People shout slogans during a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A woman shouts slogans during a protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip by the Hamas militant group, in Tel Aviv, Israel, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
