Five Things That Matter On ATP Cup Day 3
After another thrilling day at the ATP Cup, Thursday will be the last day of the group stage in Melbourne. Italy and Russia have already qualified for the semi-finals by winning Group C and Group D, respectively. But who will join them in the knockout stage of the 12-country event?
ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch Thursday at the ATP Cup.
Will Novak Stay Perfect?
Novak Djokovic has played outstanding tennis for Serbia, leading his country to the inaugural title last year and winning both singles and doubles against Canada on Tuesday. The World No. 1 is now a combined 10-0 in singles and doubles at this event, and remaining perfect will be critical to Serbia’s hopes of topping Group A. Germany will challenge Serbia Thursday for a spot in the ATP Cup semi-finals against Russia. In the match of the tie, Djokovic will face 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev. The World No. 1 leads Zverev 4-2 in their ATP Head2Head series, but the German’s victories have come in big matches: the 2017 Internazionali BNL d’Italia final and the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals championship match.
Can Spain Book Italy Clash?
Spain is in control of its destiny on Day 3 at the ATP Cup. If the 2020 runner-up can defeat Greece, it will book a semi-final tie against Italy on Friday. Spain made a strong start to its title campaign on Tuesday, when it defeated Australia 3-0 for the second straight year. Roberto Bautista Agut will face Michail Pervolarakis in the No. 2 singles match, before Rafael Nadal meets Stefanos Tsitsipas in No. 1 singles action. Nadal owns a 6-1 ATP Head2Head record against the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion, but three of the pair’s four most recent meetings have required a deciding set. If Greece manage to record an upset victory against Spain, the Group B team with the best match record will face Italy in the semi-finals.
For National Pride
Austria and France both lost 2-1 battles against Italy, but they will be keen to represent their countries well despite being unable to advance to this year’s semi-finals. Gael Monfils will be keen to earn his first win against World No. 3 Dominic Thiem, who leads their ATP Head2Head series 6-0. Dennis Novak, the No. 100 player in the FedEx ATP Rankings, is also a key player to watch for. The Austrian, who defeated Fabio Fognini on Tuesday, will try to move to 2-0 in singles in Melbourne this year against Benoit Paire.
Fast Starts Could Be Key
On Day 2, all four ties were won by the country which claimed the first victory of the tie. The No. 2 singles stars on each team have the unique opportunity to set the tone in each tie and place their No. 1 singles teammates in a position to clinch victory. Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut was an expert in this area in 2020, as he won six straight No. 2 singles clashes without dropping a set.
When Germany faces Serbia in a winner-takes-all Group A clash, two No. 2 singles stars with positive ATP Cup records will go head-to-head. Jan-Lennard Struff has won three of the four No. 2 singles ties he has played for his nation, while his opponent — Dusan Lajovic — owns a 4-3 record in the No. 2 singles position.
[WATCH LIVE 1]Baseline Battle
Argentina and Japan have both been eliminated from semi-final contention due to Russia’s 2-0 record in Group D. But that does not mean there won’t be pride on the line when the two nations face off Thursday. The No. 1 singles match has great potential to be a thriller, with Kei Nishikori playing Diego Schwartzman. Schwartzman is currently the higher-ranked of the two at World No. 9, but former World No. 4 Nishikori leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-1. They are two of the purest ball-strikers on the ATP Tour, which will make for exciting baseline rallies. In their most recent clash at the 2019 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Schwartzman emerged victorious.