Taylor Fritz is starting to make reaching big finals a habit. And he feels like he belongs with the very best players in tennis.

The American followed up his runner-up finish at the U.S. Open by beating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (3) on Saturday to advance to the final at the ATP Finals.

The last American to win the elite eight-man event was Pete Sampras, who beat Andre Agassi in 1999.

“I have believed that I belong, that I’m one of the best players. It’s not results-based. It’s more I can feel how I’m playing,” Fritz said. “This week is huge.”

Fritz also reached the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters last month, losing to Novak Djokovic.

“I trust my game and I trust my level and I don’t feel nearly as uncomfortable in these situations anymore because I’ve been playing the top guys at big events a lot lately,” Fritz said.

Fritz became the first American finalist since James Blake lost the 2006 final to Roger Federer. In Sunday’s final, Fritz will will face top-ranked Jannik Sinner — the player he lost to in the U.S. Open final.

College basketball: Tyrese Proctor scored 15 points and No. 6 Duke bounced back from its first loss of the season with an 86-35 victory over Wofford on Saturday.

NBA: Draymond Green’s foul against Zach Edey in the third quarter of the Warriors’ win over the Grizzlies was upgraded to a category-one flagrant.

NFL: Browns rookie defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. was placed on injured reserve Saturday and will miss at least four games with a knee injury sustained during a practice drill this week.

Soccer: Aubrey Kingsbury saved the first three penalties in a shootout and the Spirit beat defending champion Gotham FC to advance to the National Women’s Soccer League championship.