The first doubles team to advance to the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals is not the pair many would have expected.

Eighth-seeded Ryan Harrison and Michael Venus, who lost five of six matches to close their regular season, defeated Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, 6-7(4), 6-4, 10/5, to guarantee a berth in the final four at The 02, clinching first place in Group Eltingh/Haarhuis.

Once top-seeded Henri Kontinen and John Peers — who this year’s Roland Garros champions beat on Sunday — took down Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau in the first match of the day Tuesday, Harrison and Venus simply needed a win against Herbert and Mahut.

And that’s what they got, eliminating Rojer and Tecau from semi-final contention in the process. The American-Kiwi duo evened their FedEx ATP Head2Head series with the Frenchmen at 1-1, after Herbert and Mahut got the better of them at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati earlier this season in straight sets.

It looked like the Frenchmen might take another straight-sets victory when they cruised in the opening-set tie-break without dropping a point on serve. But Harrison and Venus did not drop their heads or their levels, bursting out of the gates to immediately break in the second set. On break point in the first game, Harrison laced a return at the net man, Mahut, eliciting a weak enough reply for Venus to swoop in and put away a volley. 

Harrison and Venus then faced 0/40 with the American serving up 3-2, but they saved all four break points. Harrison came up with a clutch jamming serve into Herbert’s body at deuce, which the Frenchman could only dump into the net. They used that momentum to close out the set and at one point win nine of 11 points in the Match Tie-break to earn their second triumph of the tournament.

Harrison and Venus will look to finish round-robin play with a perfect record against Rojer and Tecau on Thursday.

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The ATP and Rolex have announced a multi-year extension of their partnership. The agreement sees Rolex continue as the Official Timekeeper of the ATP World Tour, as well as the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals at The O2 in London, through to 2020.

Rolex has a long-standing relationship with tennis, promoting precision, excellence and innovation in the sport for more than 40 years. The Swiss watch brand is a sponsor of many of the leading tournaments, and is proud to count Roger Federer, the longest-standing No.1 in the history of the sport, among its family of Testimonees.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: “Rolex is a brand that is steeped in the history of professional tennis. They have been a valued partner of our season-ending finale since 2005, and to the ATP World Tour since 2013, and their commitment to our sport speaks volumes. We’re delighted to extend our successful partnership.”

David Goffin claimed the biggest victory of his career on Monday night, upsetting World No. 1 Rafael Nadal 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-4 to start his 2017 Nitto ATP Finals.

The seventh seed overcame seeing four match points come and go in the second set, as Nadal saved them all on his racquet – 4-5, 30/40 and three consecutively from 0/40, 5-6 down.

The Belgian pressured the Spaniard’s serve, but the World No. 1 played aggressively each time, including at 15/40, 5-6, when he smacked a 93 mph crosscourt backhand winner.

In the third set, however, Goffin’s persistence paid off. Serving for the match, he hit an ace down the T, his 14th ace of the match.

“It’s the best win of my career, for sure, to beat Rafa. But, yeah, I saw that he was struggling a little bit with his movement on the court, and his knee was suffering a little bit,” Goffin said.

“It was tough even if he was not moving 100 per cent. He was hitting the ball really hard. It was not easy. It’s never easy to finish a match, to finish a set against him. Even if I lost four match points in the second, I had no regret. I kept going in the third.”

Goffin celebrated his first victory against a World No. 1 and the fifth Top 10 win of his season (5-9). More than half of his career wins against the elite group in the Emirates ATP Rankings (9-37) have come this season, his best on the ATP World Tour. Goffin qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time, and has now begun the season-ending championship with the best win of his career.

“I’m really happy that I found my level tonight. That’s a good match to start the competition. It gives me some confidence for the next one,” said Goffin, who played one match last year at The O2 after taking Gael Monfils’ place during group play.

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The Belgian has a favourable FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Group Pete Sampras competitor Dominic Thiem (6-3). Goffin trails Grigor Dimitrov in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry 1-3.

“I have to continue to play like that, to continue to play my game, to stay focused on what I have to do on the court. I think I was feeling the ball really well tonight. Now the next match will be tough. Every match is tough here,” Goffin said.

Nadal, however, has cut short his Nitto ATP Finals. The Spaniard has withdrawn from the season-ending championships due to a right knee injury, and his countryman Pablo Carreno Busta will take his place in Group Pete Sampras.

“My season is finished. I had the commitment with the event, with the city, with myself. I tried hard. I did the thing that I had to do to try to be ready to play. But I am really not ready to play,” Nadal said.

Nadal was playing in his first match since withdrawing before the Rolex Paris Masters quarter-finals on 3 November. The Spaniard has won 75 tour-level titles, including 30 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns, but he has never won the Nitto ATP Finals. The Spaniard, who will finish as year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, finished runner-up at the season finale in 2010 and 2013.

Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal from the Nitto ATP Finals on Monday night after a 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-4 loss to David Goffin in his opening round-robin match.

The Spaniard will be replaced in the event by his compatriot and first alternate Pablo Carreno Busta, who will take Nadal’s spot in Group Pete Sampras. Nadal withdrew due to a right knee injury just two weeks after pulling out of the Rolex Paris Masters, also because of his knee.

“I had the commitment with the event, with the city, with myself. I tried hard. I did the things that I had to do to try to be ready to play,” Nadal said. “But I am really not ready to play. I really fought a lot during the match, but knowing that [there] probably was a big chance to be the last match of the season.”

Nadal says that he had no choice, and knew during the match against Goffin that he would not be able to continue in the tournament.

“It was not a decision at all,” Nadal said. “It’s about the pain. I cannot hold with enough power to keep playing. I tried, but [it] seriously was miracle to be very close in the score during the match.”