10 Things That Matter On Day 6 Of ATP Cup

The group stages come to an end on Day 6 at the ATP Cup, with the four remaining spots at the Final Eight in Sydney up for grabs. The winners of Groups B and E will be decided, while the two best second-placed finishers will be confirmed.

Here are the 10 things that matter most ahead of Day 6 at the ATP Cup.

1) Final Eight Spots: Who will join Australia, Serbia, Russia and Great Britain in the Final Eight? The four remaining places will be taken on Day 6 as 12 nations complete their final group stage ties across Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.

2) Down To The Wire: With two Final Eight spots awarded to the best second-placed finishers across the six groups, Day 6 matches will take on added importance as countries attempt to end the group stages with the best possible records.

3) Spain or Japan: The scenario is simple for Spain and Japan in Group B: win and you’re in. With both nations entering Day 6 with 2-0 records, the winner of the tie will finish as the unbeaten winner of Group B.

4) Group E Scenarios: With a win against Argentina, the top spot in Group E will belong to Croatia. If Argentina manages to claim a win, several scenarios come into play. The percentage of sets won could prove the deciding factor, with Argentina and Austria both in the running to qualify for the Final Eight as Group E winners.

5) Serbia v Chile: With Final Eight qualification secured, Serbia will meet Chile in its third Group A clash. Dusan Lajovic and Nicolas Jarry will open the tie at Pat Rafter Arena, with Novak Djokovic and Cristian Garin meeting in the No. 1 singles contest. Lajovic and Jarry split their two previous ATP Head2Head meetings, with both encounters requiring a decisive final set.

6) France v South Africa: France and South Africa enter their final tie with 1-1 records, eager to clinch second place in Group A behind Serbia. Lloyd Harris and Benoit Paire meet in No. 2 singles, before Gael Monfils and Kevin Anderson contest their seventh ATP Head2Head clash. Monfils owns a 5-1 record against the South African, but Anderson claimed his lone victory in the pair’s most recent clash at Wimbledon in 2018.

7) Spain v Japan: Spain and Japan are both undefeated in singles play at the ATP Cup. One country will lose that record when Roberto Bautista Agut meets Go Soeda. Rafael Nadal or Yoshihito Nishioka will then have the opportunity to secure Final Eight qualification for their country. Nadal defeated Nishioka in straight sets in their maiden ATP Head2Head encounter in Acapulco in 2017.

8) Georgia v Uruguay: Nikoloz Basilashvili and Pablo Cuevas will meet in the evening session at RAC Arena as Georgia and Uruguay aim to finish Group B with their first tie victory. Basilashvili and Cuevas are tied at 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head rivalry.

9) Austria v Poland: After Dennis Novak and Kacper Zuk’s No. 2 singles match, Dominic Thiem will face Hubert Hurkacz at Ken Rosewall Arena. At last year’s Miami Open presented by Itau, Hurkacz broke Thiem on four occasions to win in 77 minutes. In doubles, Hurkacz and Zuk will return to the court to face Oliver Marach and Jurgen Melzer.

10) Croatia v Argentina: In a crucial tie in Group E, Marin Cilic and Guido Pella open the night session in Sydney. Borna Coric will aim to improve his 2-1 ATP Head2Head record against Diego Schwartzman, before Ivan Dodig and Nikola Mektic face Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in doubles.