Djokovic Rolls Into SFs At ATP Finals, Medvedev Out; Fritz v FAA For Sat. Berth
Novak Djokovic stormed into the semifinals of the ATP Finals on Wednesday cruising past Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-1.
It was just their third meeting, but it was all Djokovic who made just six unforced errors in the match.
“I played very, very well. One of the best matches of the year without a doubt,” Djokovic said. “He is a tough opponent. A great competitor. He possesses a lot of strengths in his game. I managed to find the right attitude and the right game.
“In the 10th game of the first set, I think he was 40-30 and we played a long rally and I just stayed in there and told myself chances will come. He went down in his energy a little in the second and I wanted to use the momentum and energy from my side in the first few games and it was a flawless second set.”
Djokovic will next face Daniil Medvedev who was eliminated from the event after losing a tight battle to Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-7(11), 7-6(1).
Djokovic a 5-time ATP Finals champion but hasn’t won the event since 2015. He’s into his 11th semifinal at the ATP Finals.
Rublev will now face Stefanos Tsitsipas for second place in the Red Group.
In the earlier thriller between former champions, Tsitsipas saw three match points come and go in the second but then prevailed in the third to oust Daniil Medvedev who let slip a 5-3 lead in the decider.
Medvedev has won seven of 10 though the Greek had been better of late, and that was the case Wednesday afternoon in Turin.
“It was very tiring out there,” said Tsitsipas. “I’m so glad I overcame this and I was able to enjoy it with the crowd. It’s a great win and I’m extremely proud of the way I thought. It never seemed to kind of be ending for me. Even on the last game when he was serving, I still felt if I was able to put a few balls in, some opportunity might present, and it did.
“It was great to get back into the match, I felt reborn, and what a great way to end it.”
Tomorrow, debutants Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime meet for a spot in the semifinals.
In a dead match, Casper Ruud and Rafael Nadal will reprise their French Open final. Ruud has already won the Green Group while Nadal has been eliminated. They will also play for points and prize money.
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