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24-Country Field Set For Inaugural 2020 ATP Cup

  • Posted: Nov 13, 2019

24-Country Field Set For Inaugural 2020 ATP Cup

Final six nations qualify in ATP Cup Standings

The field is set for the inaugural ATP Cup, to be held from 3-12 January 2020 in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney. The final six countries — Bulgaria, Chile, Poland, Uruguay, Moldova and Norway — have qualified in the ATP Cup Standings to complete the 24-team field.

Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria), Cristian Garin (Chile), Hubert Hurkacz (Poland), Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay), Radu Albot (Moldova) and Casper Ruud (Norway) will lead their countries in the spectacular event that launches the 2020 ATP Tour season. The ATP Cup will feature nine members of the Top 10 in the ATP Rankings — including Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Spain’s Rafael Nadal — and 26 of the Top 30 committed to play.

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View Updated Standings, Qualified Teams & Committed Players

As the highest qualified country at the second entry deadline, Bulgaria replaced Switzerland and joined Belgium and Great Britain in Group C in Sydney. The remaining five countries were drawn into their groups/cities in a live ceremony on 14 November. (Watch a replay of the draw on the ATP Cup’s Facebook page.)

Chile (Group A, Brisbane), Uruguay (Group B, Perth), Moldova (Group C, Sydney),  Norway (Group D, Perth), Poland (Group E, Sydney).

The group stages of the AU $22 million/US $15 million ATP Cup will be hosted in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney over six days. Eight countries will then compete at the Final Eight in Sydney that will feature quarter-finals over two days, semi-finals and a final. Each tie will comprise of two singles and one doubles match.

COUNTRIES & TOP 2 PLAYERS COMMITTED TO 2020 ATP CUP

No.
Country
No. 1 Player No. 2 Player
1.
Serbia
Novak Djokovic Dusan Lajovic
2.
Spain
Rafael Nadal Roberto Bautista Agut
3.
Russia
Daniil Medvedev Karen Khachanov
4.
Austria
Dominic Thiem Dennis Novak
5.
Germany
Alexander Zverev Jan-Lennard Struff
6.
Greece
Stefanos Tsitsipas Michail Pervolarakis
7.
Japan
Kei Nishikori Yoshihito Nishioka
8.
Italy
Matteo Berrettini Fabio Fognini
9.
France
Gael Monfils Lucas Pouille
10.
Belgium
David Goffin Steve Darcis
11.
Croatia
Borna Coric Marin Cilic
12.
Argentina
Diego Schwartzman Guido Pella
13.
Georgia
Nikoloz Basilashvili Aleksandre Metreveli
14.
South Africa
Kevin Anderson Lloyd Harris
15.
United States
John Isner Taylor Fritz
16.
Canada
Denis Shapovalov Felix Auger-Aliassime
17.
Great Britain
Andy Murray Daniel Evans
18.
Australia
Alex de Minaur Nick Kyrgios
19.
Bulgaria
Grigor Dimitrov Dimitar Kuzmanov
20.
Chile
Cristian Garin Nicolas Jarry
21.
Poland
Hubert Hurkacz Kamil Majchrzak
22.
Uruguay
Pablo Cuevas Martin Cuevas
23.
Moldova
Radu Albot Alexander Cozbinov
24.
Norway
Casper Ruud Viktor Durasovic

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Mahut/Herbert Book Semi-final Spot In London

  • Posted: Nov 13, 2019

Mahut/Herbert Book Semi-final Spot In London

French duo defeat Krawietz/Mies on Wednesday

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut clinched their place in the final four at the Nitto ATP Finals on Wednesday, beating Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies 7-5, 7-6(3).

The French pairing extended their winning streak to six matches after one hour and 33 minutes, winning 75 per cent of first-serve points (40/53) and saving three of five break points. Herbert and Mahut have not dropped a set since arriving at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Strong backhand returns from Mahut earned the 2018 finalists an early break on their way to a 5-2 lead in the first set. But Krawietz and Mies responded well, as Mies fired multiple returns at the laces of Herbert to save set point and level the score at 5-5. The Frenchmen managed to snap Krawietz and Mies’ momentum with a love service hold before lobbing their opponents to take the opener after 41 minutes.

With Krawietz and Mies both firing forehand winners in the opening game of the second set, Herbert committed two double faults to drop serve. Mahut and Herbert found their way back into the set with a break at 4-3, before claiming victory in the tie-break. Herbert captured three mini-breaks with aggressive returning in the tie-break to improve his record with Mahut this year to 16-5.

Krawietz and Mies drop to 1-1 in Group Max Mirnyi, where they will face Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in their final round-robin match. Krawietz/Mies, Cabal/Farah and Jean-Julien Rojer/Horia Tecau can all still qualify for Saturday’s semi-finals.

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Nadal boosts ATP Finals hopes after stunning fightback against Medvedev

  • Posted: Nov 13, 2019
2019 Nitto ATP Finals
Venue: O2 Arena, London Dates: 10-17 November
Coverage: Watch live coverage of one match per day on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer and online; Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra; Live text on selected matches on the BBC Sport website and app. Click here for Live Guide.

Rafael Nadal saved a match point to beat Russian Daniil Medvedev and boost his hopes of a first ATP Finals title.

Nadal, bidding to keep his world number one ranking, could have been eliminated on Wednesday with defeat but beat the fourth seed 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-4).

The Spaniard trailed 5-1 in the third set and saved match point on his serve at 5-2 before a stunning comeback.

“This match is one of those that one [time] out of 1,000 you win,” Nadal said. “Honestly, I was super lucky.”

The 33-year-old’s hopes of progression to the semi-finals rest on his meeting with Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday.

Greek Tsitsipas plays Alexander Zverev, who beat Nadal in their opening round-robin match, later on Wednesday.

Nadal shows trademark fighting spirit

The last meeting between Nadal and 23-year-old Medvedev was September’s US Open final, which the Spaniard won in five sets, and this match was almost as thrilling.

Both players looked beaten at times, Medvedev when he was distracted while he was losing the second set and Nadal when a double-break down in the decider.

Errors from Nadal and a resurgence from Medvedev at the start of the third set had led to the Russian racing into a 4-0 lead.

He had two break points for 5-0, and the match point two games later, but 19-time Grand Slam champion Nadal showed all of his trademark fighting spirit, roared on by the crowd at London’s O2 Arena.

As Nadal clawed his way back, Medvedev lost focus again, sarcastically giving a thumbs-up to his box as games slipped away.

After losing five successive games, the Russian settled himself to force a tie-break and was on serve at 4-5 in the breaker before he dragged a short forehand wide to give Nadal a mini-break and match point.

Another gruelling rally followed but a Medvedev shot that was originally called in was ruled out by Hawk-Eye to hand Nadal victory after two hours 49 minutes.

Semi-final and ranking permutations

The win means even if Nadal loses his final match and does not qualify for the semi-finals, Novak Djokovic will have to win the tournament to overtake him as year-end world number one.

Nadal can also secure the position at the top of the rankings if he wins his final group match and makes the final, regardless of Djokovic’s results.

The Serb plays Roger Federer on Thursday in Group Bjorn Borg with the winner progressing to the last four and the loser eliminated.

The winner of the match between Tsitsipas and Zverev can seal a semi-final spot later on Wednesday (20:00 GMT).

Greece’s Tsitsipas is through if he beats Zverev in two sets, while the German will be guaranteed progression with any win.

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Nadal Levels Up With Medvedev In London

  • Posted: Nov 13, 2019

Nadal Levels Up With Medvedev In London

Spaniard wins second set at Nitto ATP Finals

Rafael Nadal dug deep to send his match with Daniil Medvedev to a deciding set on Wednesday at the Nitto ATP Finals. The Spaniard fought back to level the score at 6-7(3), 6-3.

Nadal holds a 2-0 lead in his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Medvedev. Both wins came this year in title matches at the Coupe Rogers and US Open. They are both looking for their first win of the week in Group Andre Agassi.

The Spaniard is also looking to finish as year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings for the fifth time. If he defeats Medvedev, then Novak Djokovic must win the title in order to finish as year-end No. 1 for a record-tying sixth time.

Medvedev is seeking his 60th tour-level win of the season (59-19). He’s won 29 of his past 34 matches, including his first two ATP Masters 1000 titles at the Western & Southern Open (d. Goffin) and Rolex Shanghai Masters (d. Zverev), in addition to a maiden crown on home soil at the St. Petersburg Open (d. Coric).

Nadal saved the lone break point of the opening set at 3-3 with a passing shot winner. Both players remained even until midway through the tie-break, when Medvedev leaned into a forehand for a 5/3 mini-break advantage. Two points later, a big first serve from Medvedev gave him the early lead.

The two-time finalist (2010, 2013) at this event refused to bow out quietly, though. Nadal pumped his first after securing a break in the opening game of the second set and maintained the momentum. With Medvedev serving at 3-5, the Russian hit a forehand wide on set point to tie up the score.

More to follow…

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Watch Live Stream: Sinner Back In Action On Wednesday

  • Posted: Nov 13, 2019

Watch Live Stream: Sinner Back In Action On Wednesday

Fresh off his title at the Next Gen ATP Finals, Jannik Sinner concludes his breakthrough season at the Ortisei Challenger

Watch free live stream of Jannik Sinner’s opening match in Ortisei, from 8pm CET/2pm EST…

Three days ago, he lifted the trophy at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. On Wednesday, Jannik Sinner is back in action, kicking off his final tournament of the season on home soil in snowy Ortisei.

The 18-year-old Italian is set to compete at the ATP Challenger Tour event in northern Italy, located less than two hours from his hometown of San Candido. This is the 10th edition of the Sparkasse Challenger Val Gardena. Last year, Ugo Humbert lifted the trophy and Sinner is looking to follow in his fellow #NextGenATP’s footsteps.

The teenager opens against Austria’s Lucas Miedler in a sold-out night session. They have met twice already this year, with the Italian prevailing in straight sets in both Bergamo and Orleans.

Sinner has taken the Challenger circuit by storm this year, en route to his Milan breakthrough. In February, he became Italy’s youngest winner ever with his maiden title in Bergamo and joined elite company with a second crown in Lexington over the summer. The biggest mover to the Top 100 this year, he has soared more than 600 spots to a career-high No. 96 in the ATP Rankings.

Sinner

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Thiem: 'Classic And Epic. Probably The Best Match I've Ever Played'

  • Posted: Nov 13, 2019

Thiem: ‘Classic And Epic. Probably The Best Match I’ve Ever Played’

Austrian reaches first Nitto ATP Finals SF

Dominic Thiem minced no words after finishing off a thrilling third-set tie-break victory against five-time champion Novak Djokovic at the Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday evening in what was perhaps one of the best matches of 2019.

“It was maybe the best match I’ve ever played,” Thiem said. “It was a real classic and epic match, which will happen from time to time at these big tournaments.”

Thiem had trailed Djokovic 3-6 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, and the Serbian is pushing to potentially finish year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings for a record-tying sixth time. But Thiem showed no fear on the court, powering his way to the win after nearly three hours.

“I knew that I had to play like this to beat him. Against everybody who qualified for this tournament here, there is a special effort necessary to win. I did it against Roger, and I did it also today,” Thiem said. “Probably Novak is the best player in the world right now, so I had to do something outstanding, something unusual, and that’s what I did. I mean, I was hitting really, really hard.”

The 26-year-old is the first Austrian to qualify for the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals, a feat not even former World No. 1 Thomas Muster accomplished. Thiem won just one round-robin match at the season finale in each of the past three years.

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Thiem Upsets Djokovic To Clinch SF Berth

“I’m really confident, of course. It was I think for the first time that I beat two [members] of the Big Three back-to-back, which gives me a lot of confidence,” Thiem said. “I’m super happy and proud that I reached the semi-finals for the first time. It was a big goal, but of course it’s not enough now. I’ll try to play a good match against Matteo [Berrettini] on Thursday. Of course, it’s a little bit more comfortable now that I don’t have a lot of pressure in this match, but of course I want to continue the great shape and then [turn my] full focus on the semi-finals.”

The 16-time tour-level champion is tied for the ATP Tour-lead this season alongside Djokovic with five trophies. But with his semi-final qualification, the World No. 5 is just two wins from finishing the season with a bang in London.

“It would be the biggest title of my career. I think this tournament here is almost on level with the Grand Slams, because it’s so tough to win it,” Thiem said. “You have to beat only Top 10 players. You have to beat the eight best players of the season. Maybe this tournament is the most difficult to win all year.”

Thiem put himself in position to be able to look ahead at that by battling through a memorable classic against Djokovic. He let slip a break advantage twice in the decider — including at 6-5 — but managed to overcome a 1/4 deficit in the third-set tie-break to move to 15-2 in deciding sets this year.

“It had everything what a match like this needs. He was up, I was up. He was playing amazing points. Me, I was playing amazing points. And then I think the match deserved an end in the third-set tiebreak,” Thiem said. “If we are playing two hours 45, two Top 10 players, it’s only about luck, and it was a little bit more on my side today in the third-set tiebreak. But I’m really happy and proud because… it was probably the best match I’ve ever played.”

Entering the season, the Austrian had won just 55.9 per cent of his tour-level hard-court matches. But after defeating Djokovic, he is 25-9 on hard courts in 2019, giving him a winning percentage of 73.5 per cent this season. He has won three of his five titles in 2019 on the surface, including his first ATP Masters 1000 title on hard courts at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Thiem believes that there are “two main factors” that have aided his improvement on the surface.

“The first is that I really improve my aggressive game style. I’m coming in to the net way more, and that’s just important on the hard courts,” Thiem said. “There are also some big advantages for me on surfaces like this. I don’t get the backhand in uncomfortably. I can hit it most of the time in a pretty good zone for me. That’s why I can go many times for a very risky shot, and the possibility that the ball goes in is pretty high because this surface makes it possible that I don’t have to hit it too uncomfortable.”

Thiem is looking plenty comfortable at The O2, and now he is guaranteed a spot in the last four at the season finale.

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Wednesday Preview: Nadal Tries To Rebound Against Medvedev; Tsitsipas & Zverev Reignite Rivalry

  • Posted: Nov 13, 2019

Wednesday Preview: Nadal Tries To Rebound Against Medvedev; Tsitsipas & Zverev Reignite Rivalry

Nadal and Medvedev have already played twice this season

Just two months ago, Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev battled in a five-set epic in the US Open final, with the Russian forging a memorable comeback before the lefty showed his steely resolve to earn a 19th Grand Slam title. Both will need to bring their best to The O2 on Wednesday as they seek to earn their first victory of the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals.

Nadal leads Medvedev 2-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, with both of their matches coming this year. They are used to high stakes, with their previous battles coming in the final of an ATP Masters 1000 event (Montreal) and a Grand Slam (Flushing Meadows). It will be no different in London, as they try to avoid going 0-2 in Group Andre Agassi play.

Nadal withdrew from his Rolex Paris Masters semi-final less than two weeks ago due to an abdominal strain. But the Spaniard said after his straight-sets loss on Monday against Alexander Zverev that he felt fine, and simply did not play well enough to beat the German.

“It was not a problem with the abdominal at all. I did not feel pain in the abdominal at all. Just Sascha played well and [I] played bad, honestly. We can find reasons or excuses, but at the end of the day, [all that] really matters is I need to play much better,” Nadal said. “I stay positive. I stay competitive, something that [against Zverev] I was not. That’s the thing that I am more disappointed [about], because knowing that I will not be at my 100 per cent in terms of feelings, in terms of movement, in terms of confidence or hitting the ball, I needed my best competitive spirit [against Zverev], and I was not there in that way.”

Nadal will look to turn that around against Medvedev, who in falling to Stefanos Tsitsipas dropped consecutive matches for the first time since June. He will have to raise his level against Nadal, who has lost his first two round-robin matches at the Nitto ATP Finals just once (2009) in eight appearances.

“I’m struggling a little bit with finding back my level I had in the USA and Shanghai and St. Petersburg, which is… I think normal for any sportsman, and that’s what is amazing about the top three, Big Three and Murray before, that even when you kind of look at them and you think, ‘Okay, they are not playing as good as they can’, they still win these matches,” said Medvedev, who recently advanced to the final of six straight tour-level events he played. “That’s what I’m missing right now, and that’s what I’m going to try to work on and still have two matches to come. Hopefully [I] can play them better.”

Medvedev, the fourth seed, has earned eight Top 10 wins this season, making his career’s total nine. As a tournament debutant — two years after competing in the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan — Medvedev seeks his first victory at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Tsitsipas Zverev

In the evening singles match, defending champion Alexander Zverev and first-time qualifier Stefanos Tsitsipas will meet in the youngest match at this event since a 22-year-old Andy Murray beat a 21-year-old Juan Martin del Potro in 2009 round-robin action.

Zverev entered the tournament 1-5 this season against Top 10 opposition. But with his opening victory against Nadal, the German has now won five of his past six matches at the season finale, all of which have come against Top 10 players.

The 22-year-old’s three most recent victories at The 02 have come against the ‘Big Three’. He is the first player to defeat the legendary trio at this event. In those matches, he did not drop a set, breaking serve nine times.

But Tsitsipas has proven a challenging foe for Zverev, leading their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 3-1, with two of his wins coming this year.

“[They were] both fantastic matches. Especially I think in Beijing it was very, very close and could have gone both ways, even though it was two sets,” Zverev said. “It’s going to be interesting. He played a fantastic match [against Medvedev], I thought, especially for the first time playing here. It’s never easy. I’m looking forward to it.”

Tsitsipas will carry confidence into this matchup after defeating Medvedev for the first time on his sixth attempt. The Greek star let it be known all year he wanted to compete in the season finale. And after an impressive debut on Monday, there are scenarios in which he could qualify for the semi-finals on Wednesday.

Group Andre Agassi Semi-final Qualification Scenarios

 Tsitsipas qualifies on Wednesday if…

– Tsitsipas defeats Zverev and Medvedev beats Nadal.
– Tsitsipas defeats Zverev in two sets and Nadal beats Medvedev in three sets.

 Zverev qualifies on Wednesday if…

 – Zverev defeats Tsitsipas and Nadal beats Medvedev.
 – Zverev defeats Tsitsipas in two sets and Medvedev beats Nadal in three sets.

“It was actually even better than I dreamt of it,” Tsitsipas said after beating Medvedev. “I felt very relaxed today. I don’t know why. Just the importance of me standing on this court just relaxes me, for some reason. I feel really comfortable, and I felt like I had nothing to be afraid of. Just being on that court is already a big excitement, a big joy. It’s something that I dreamt always, and it does feel very special.”

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