Both winners on Monday, David Goffin and Grigor Dimitrov now have the opportunity to book their place in the semi…
Not content to rest on his laurels, David Goffin knows it is all still to play for at the Nitto ATP Finals on Wednesday after his upset of World No. 1 Rafael Nadal in his opening match. While acknowledging that the Spaniard wasn’t at his physical best, the Belgian’s confidence will be sky-high when he takes on No. 6 seed Grigor Dimitrov in Group Pete Sampras.
Semi-final berths are up for grabs. Should Goffin back up his defeat of Nadal with a straight-sets result over the Bulgarian, he will automatically qualify. If he prevails in three sets, he will need Pablo Carreno Busta to defeat Dominic Thiem. If Dimitrov wins, regardless of the score, he will qualify for Saturday’s semi-final.
“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,” Goffin said. “I think I was feeling the ball really well [against Nadal]. Now the next match will be tough. Every match is tough here.
“It’s not because you won the first match that you are safe for the next one, no. You have to restart again, prepare the match as always, and be ready for another big fight.”
While Goffin’s triumph over Nadal made him the first Belgian to defeat a World No. 1, Dimitrov made an impressive start of his own on Monday, when he took down No. 4 seed Dominic Thiem in a tight three-setter.
Dimitrov leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series against Goffin 3-1, with three of those clashes coming this year. The Bulgarian prevailed in the Australian Open quarter-finals and on home soil in the Sofia final, however Goffin gained revenge in the quarter-finals of Rotterdam’s indoor hard courts at the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament. “David has been having a tremendous end of the season, built up a lot of confidence, a lot of momentum,” Dimitrov said.
The Bulgarian started his season with a 16-1 record, including a first ATP World Tour title in 2 ½ years at the Brisbane International and a second Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open. Silverware also followed in Sofia and a first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati (d. Kyrgios). Goffin reached back-to-back finals in Sofia (l. Dimitrov) and Rotterdam (l. to Tsonga) and after returning from a freak ankle injury at Roland Garros, ended a six-match losing run with back-to-back titles at Shenzhen (d. Dolgopolov) and Tokyo (d. Mannarino).
Goffin is the first Belgian to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. While he played one match in 2016 as an alternate, following Gael Monfils’ withdrawal, this is the first year he qualified outright. Dimitrov is also flying the flag for his nation, as the first Bulgarian to contest the season finale.
“It’s not only big for me, I think it’s for my whole country, for Bulgaria,” Dimitrov said. “It’s great for me to show that everything is possible. You push the boundaries, doesn’t matter where you’re from, it’s all up to you, everything is in your hands. Basically whatever you put in is what you get.
“I think for the people, just to realise that whatever you put your mind to, if you push those boundaries every day, if you work hard, the sky’s the limit. You can dream every day.”
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View FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup for the Group Pete Sampras matches to be played Wednesday at the Nitto ATP Finals and vote for who you think will win!
Dimitrov vs. Goffin | Thiem vs. Carreno Busta
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Big forehands make for great highlights and aces for quick games, but variety might be the key to success on the ATP World Tour, and Roger Federer showed plenty of it on Tuesday night during his 7-6(6), 5-7, 6-1 win against Alexander Zverev at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Federer moved the 6’6” Zverev around the court with drop shots and slices. But the six-time champion was also happy to flatten out his groundstrokes against the 20-year-old right-hander, who had beaten Federer during their only prior hard-court matchup.
“I think I was able to stay the course and use my slice quite effectively, then try with variation to go into his forehand,” Federer said.
Now, after a 2-0 start in London, the 36-year-old Federer is into the semi-finals for the 14th time in his 15th appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals.
“I’m extremely happy… It’s been a tough group so to be there in two matches is great,” Federer said. “But today was difficult. Still early days in the tournament. It was nice to be able to show maybe that quality of mine, that I can dig out these matches, these points time and time again, stay mentally tough. In the third I started to play better. It was a tough match from the beginning till the end.”
His win clears up the Group Boris Becker qualification scenarios. Marin Cilic, who lost to Jack Sock on Tuesday to fall to 0-2, is eliminated.
The winner of Thursday’s Sock vs. Zverev matchup will join Federer in the semi-finals. Sock and Zverev are tied 1-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry.
“I think it was a very positive match,” Zverev said. “I still have great chances of qualifying, playing Jack Sock next. I think if I continue having this level, I don’t know, maybe you’ll see me in the weekend still.”
Federer has now won 12 consecutive matches, dating back to his title runs at the Shanghai Rolex Masters (d. Nadal) and the Swiss Indoors Basel (d. del Potro). That streak features seven indoor victories, including his Nitto ATP Finals opener against Sock.
But Tuesday’s must-see generational showdown was a toss-up at the start. Federer and Zverev had split their four FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, and Zverev had beaten Federer on the hard courts of Montreal during the Coupe Rogers final. The German became the only player to beat him in a final this season and only the fourth player to beat him at all this year.
The third-seeded Zverev, who’s making his Nitto ATP Finals debut this week, started strong as well. He had three break points in Federer’s opening service game, but Federer saved all three, reeling off five consecutive points. The Swiss would save 9/11 break points for the match.
“I think I was able to read his forehand this time better than Montreal, where he had a lot of winners, forehand and backhand,” Federer said.
They blitzed through the opener from there, with six games held to love or 15, until Zverev had to erase two set points at 5-6. In the tie-break, Federer won eight of the final 10 points to take the first set.
Zverev didn’t fade, though. He broke Federer for the second time at 5-6 in the second set and evened the match. But the Swiss right-hander outplayed Zverev in the decider, breaking three times and saving the only break point he faced.
“I think he played a very good game to break me. Then I lost a little bit concentration after that,” Zverev said.
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| ATP Finals | |
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| Venue: The 02 Arena, London Dates: 12-19 November | |
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Six-time champion Roger Federer was “happy and relieved” to see off the challenge of 20-year-old Alexander Zverev and reach the last four at the season-ending ATP Finals in London.
Federer, 36, proved the stronger in the final set, winning 7-6 (8-6) 5-7 6-1.
Germany’s Zverev, seeded third, can still qualify for the semi-finals on his debut appearance at the O2 Arena.
He will play American Jack Sock in his final group match on Thursday, with the winner to progress to the last four.
Eighth seed Sock earlier beat Croat fifth seed Marin Cilic 5-7 6-2 7-6 (7-4) in the second round of matches in the Boris Becker Group.
“That was a tough one for sure,” said Sock.
“It’s been an interesting morning so far, the fire alarm went off at 4am and we had to exit the building. But I love playing here in London, it’s an amazing atmosphere, you make me feel like [I’m] home.
“I’m just excited to win and keep myself alive.”
In the Pete Sampras Group on Wednesday, Grigor Dimitrov will play David Goffin at 14:00 GMT followed by Dominic Thiem against Pablo Carreno Busta, who replaces the injured Rafael Nadal, at 20:00.
Jamie Murray and Brazil’s Bruno Soares take on Marcel Granollers and Ivan Dodig in their second doubles group match at 18:00.
Federer made it through to the semi-finals for a remarkable 14th time at the season finale, but was pushed hard for two sets by the leading light of the new generation.
Zverev showed his class with some brilliant serving in the first set, making 76% of his first serves, but it was still not enough.
The German had three chances to break in the opening game and would later lead 4-0 in the tie-break, before a rash of forehand errors allowed Federer to come back and take it.
An early break of serve in the second set looked to have the Swiss in complete control, but from 2-0, 30-0, he surprisingly hit successive double-faults and lost his way for the next few games.
Clearly rattled by his wavering form and increasingly confident rival, Federer eventually cracked in the 12th game to send a forehand wide and give up the set.
The adrenaline was coursing through Zverev but the effects had worn off three games later, when a tired double fault opened the door for Federer to get the key break, celebrating with a loud “Come on!”
Four errors in succession saw Zverev hand over the double break and it became three in a row when the German double-faulted on match point after two hours and 13 minutes.
Federer can now look forward to a final group game against Cilic knowing there is only pride, and the wish to maintain his winning run, on the line ahead of Saturday’s semi-finals.
“I’m excited for Alex’s future. He’s a wonderful guy and a great, great player,” said Federer.
“I’m happy and relieved that I can play freely against Cilic, instead of it being a nail-biter. It’s been a tough group so to be through in two matches is great.”
Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent
More of the same, please, in 2018.
Zverev is one of only four men to have beaten Federer this year, and his self-belief was evident from the off. He put his 6ft 6in frame to magnificent use with some fine serving in the first two sets, and his backhand really rattled Federer, who could be heard muttering to himself on more than one occasion.
But Federer still came out on top, and ultimately at a canter.
He remains the strong favourite to win this title for a seventh time, although he might just have to beat Zverev again in Sunday’s final.
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It’s not often that an alternate steps into the fray at the Nitto ATP Finals and has the chance to make an immediate impact. But that’s exactly the opportunity that awaits Pablo Carreno Busta on Wednesday in London.
Carreno Busta will be thrown into the cauldron under the bright lights and vibrant atmosphere at The O2, with a spot in the semi-finals still very much up for grabs. The Spaniard entered the tournament when countryman Rafael Nadal withdrew due to a right knee injury.
“I dreamt a lot of times to be here and play,” said Carreno Busta on Tuesday. “I think it’s a big opportunity for me. I will try to do my best. I think I have no pressure, nothing to lose. I will try to enjoy and to learn, and to win of course.”
The fourth alternate to feature at The O2, since the Nitto ATP Finals moved to London in 2009, Carreno Busta is bidding to become just the second to win a match there. In 2011, Janko Tipsarevic stunned fellow Serbian Novak Djokovic after replacing Andy Murray.
Alternates At The O2
| Year | Player | Result(s) |
| 2017 | Pablo Carreno Busta | faces Thiem and Dimitrov |
| 2016 | David Goffin | l. to Djokovic |
| 2014 | David Ferrer | l. to Nishikori |
| 2011 | Janko Tipsarevic | d. Djokovic, l. to Berdych |
Carreno Busta opens his bid to crash the semi-final party when he faces Dominic Thiem in Wednesday’s night session. There will be no secrets when the Spaniard and the Austrian square off, having met on six previous occasions in their pro careers.
The World No. 10 took a final encounter at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Como, Italy, in 2013, but Thiem has since reeled off four straight victories at the tour-level. Their lone hard-court meeting came in the third round of the 2016 US Open, won by Thiem in four sets. The 24-year-old also prevailed in the title match of the Rio Open presented by Claro earlier this year.
Carreno Busta enters their latest encounter on the heels of a career-year on the ATP World Tour, boasting a 36-24 win-loss mark, a title on the clay of Estoril and impressive semi-final finishes at both the US Open and BNP Paribas Open. With the opportunity to add another signature moment, he knows exactly what is at stake against Thiem.
“I need to be very aggressive,” added Carreno Busta, who will also face Grigor Dimitrov on Friday. “I need to play my game, to serve good. He is very good with his forehand, and also with the backhand down the line. I need to be focused all the time, to be very positive, and fight.
“Normally the alternates here can play the last match. But I have the opportunity to play two matches, and also to be in the semi-finals. I need to be focused on the match against Thiem. I think it will be very tough.”
With Thiem in danger of falling to 0-2 in Group Pete Sampras, the pressure will be ratcheted up. He dropped a tight opener to Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 5-7, 7-5 on Monday, but will be bolstered by his performance against the Bulgarian and his experience advantage at the season-ending championships. The Austrian is making his second appearance in London, following a 1-2 campaign last year.
One key area to keep an eye on will be Thiem’s success against the Carreno Busta serve. He made significant in-roads on the Spaniard’s delivery in their four FedEx ATP Head2Head battles, seizing a combined 18 of 39 break chances. The fourth seed is focused on the task ahead.
“There are two more matches, two more chances,” said Thiem. “I think it’s just over when I cannot reach the semi-finals anymore, and when I also cannot calculate it any more. That’s all I think about now. I will just focus on myself and obviously try everything to win the match on Wednesday, to still have a shot for the semi-finals.”
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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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Watch five of the best shots as Jack Sock beats Marin Cilic to boost his hopes of reaching semi-finals at the ATP Finals in London.
