British number one Cameron Norrie missed the chance to end his 2022 season on a high as he lost to Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals of the Diriyah Tennis Cup.
The Wimbledon semi-finalist had progressed past Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas in the space of 24 hours on Thursday, but Fritz took one hour and 28 minutes to progress 7-6[4] 4-6 10-6 in front of a vibrant crowd.
Norrie's forehand had bedevilled him throughout the day, and another error on that side would prove to be the killer blow on Fritz's first of four match points in the final tie-breaker.
The American also hit 13 aces compared to just three for Norrie on the day, and Fritz will now go on to meet Russia's Daniil Medvedev in the final of the exhibition tournament.
Prior to Norrie and Fritz's semi-final, Medvedev took a similar amount of time - one hour and 27 minutes - to defeat Stan Wawrinka 6-4 6-4, although it was not a cakewalk for the Russian.
Medvedev saved three break points in the sixth game before winning the final three games of the first set to move 1-0 up, and both men claimed early breaks in the second set.
Medvedev would be forced to serve for his place in the final, but he converted his third match point to advance to Saturday's showpiece event.
Ben Knapton
