Paolini doubles up to lead Italy into BJK Cup semis
Jasmine Paolini wins both her singles and doubles matches to lead Italy into the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals with victory over Japan.
Jasmine Paolini wins both her singles and doubles matches to lead Italy into the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals with victory over Japan.
Video Review led to the overturn of a call and the replay of a point on Saturday in the Nitto ATP Finals semi-final between Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz.
At 1-0 in the second set, Zverev rushed forward and lunged to retrieve a ball with a backhand swipe. Chair umpire Adel Nour called not up, awarding the point to Fritz.
However, upon Video Review requested by Zverev, Nour overturned his call and ordered that the point be replayed. Zverev then won the replayed point.
When a reviewable call is challenged, the Video Review operator finds the best view of the incident through available camera angles, then sends the video to a screen attached to the umpire’s chair. The umpire then reviews the video to determine if there is clear evidence to support the original decision or to overturn the decision. If there is no clear evidence, the original decision stands.
[ATP AWARDS]Video Review was also used successfully last year in Turin. In a doubles match between Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek and Maximo Gonzalez/Andres Molteni, Gonzalez reflexed a volley through the court and a touch was called on Krajicek, who tried to move his racquet out of the way of the incoming ball. The review showed he had not touched the ball, and the point was replayed.
Video Review debuted on the ATP Tour in 2018 at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. It was first used at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2020.
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After six days of elite group-stage action at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals, Saturday begins the knockout rounds in Turin.
Home favourite Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will seek to continue his perfect week when he takes on Casper Ruud in the Inalpi Arena. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev, who also posted a 3-0 round-robin record, will meet Taylor Fritz.
In doubles action, Aussies Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson take on Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz before top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic play Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.
[ATP AWARDS][1] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. [6] Casper Ruud (NOR)
Playing on home soil for the first time this year — and for the first time as World No. 1 — Sinner has soared into the semis without dropping a set. The Italian has not lost more than four games in a single frame and was broken just twice on four break chances combined against De Minaur, Fritz and Medvedev.
“The atmosphere here is amazing, so I’m just trying to play some good tennis this week,” Sinner said after completing his undefeated group-stage campaign.
His perfect start on the Inalpi Arena’s indoor hard court continues a brilliant season highlighted by a tour-leading seven titles. Six of those trophies have come on hard courts, including his first two Grand Slam titles (Australian Open, US Open) and three ATP Masters 1000s crowns (Miami, Cincinnati, Shanghai).
“I know what I have achieved during this year, so I try to step on court with a good mindset,” he said of his continued success. “I have beautiful people around me who support me daily, which for me is really important. I try to enjoy my time on the court.”
Ruud, whose two 2024 titles came on the clay of Barcelona and Geneva, has the unenviable task of trying to slow Sinner’s roll on the pavement. He has yet to take a set off the Italian in two previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings. Both of those matchups came on indoor hard courts in Vienna, but it’s been more than three years since their last encounter.
The Norwegian could have no better preparation for the World No. 1 than the gauntlet he faced to reach the semis. After beating Alcaraz, the No. 3 man in the PIF ATP Rankings, Ruud allowed just one break point in a tight defeat to World No. 2 Zverev. Knowing he needed to win a set against Andrey Rublev to secure his semi-final place, he went one better and won the match to wrap his group campaign at 2-1.
The task will only get tougher on Saturday, when he will have to handle both a red-hot Sinner and the Italian crowd.
“He is the best player in the world all year and is playing at home and has not dropped a set all week,” Ruud said. “He is the player to beat this year and I am going to do my best. It seems like this guy almost forgot how to lose. I will see if I can come up with something to challenge here. I will be prepared for probably the toughest match of the year.”
<img alt=”Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/15/18/05/zverev-fritz-turin-2024-sf-h2h.jpg” />
[2] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. [5] Taylor Fritz (USA)
Zverev and Fritz have been among the busiest players on the ATP Tour this season. They are two of just five men with more than 50 match wins on the year, joining fellow Turin competitors Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Ruud.
With the Nitto ATP Finals title on the line, both men will have plenty more in the tank.
“I think a lot of us are pretty beat up,” Fritz said after his three-set win against Alex de Minaur on Thursday. “But if I’m in the semis of the [Nitto ATP Finals], I’ve got energy to give.”
Their semi-final meeting will be Zverev’s 90th match of 2024 (69-20) and Fritz’s 74th (51-22). It will also be their fifth Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting of 2024.
“I’m happy with being 3-0 in the group for sure, but I think now the semi-final is going to be very difficult,” said Zverev, who trails Fritz 5-6 in their rivalry. “[Taylor] beat me the past few times at the Slams, so I’m looking forward to that match.”
Zverev defeated the American this year in the Rome quarter-finals, but Fritz prevailed at Wimbledon in five sets, at the US Open in four and at Laver Cup in two. Fritz’s three-match winning streak against Zverev marks the first time either man has beaten the other three times in a row. But the German’s form — and his status as year-end No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings — makes him the slight favourite in Turin.
Fritz nearly pulled off the upset against Sinner in the round-robin stage, giving the home favourite all he could handle in two tight sets before being broken in the final game of each. He then dropped the opening set against Alex de Minaur before finding his serve to turn that match around and, ultimately, seal his semi-final place.
In this Saturday showdown, both men will look to use their big serves to set the tone. The ideal formula is a simple one: dominate service games and pile on the pressure when returning. But nothing is simple at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Doubles SFs
Thursday’s results meant Arevalo and Pavic clinched Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours as a team for the first time. On Friday, the Turin top seeds beat home favourites Bolelli and Vavassori to seal their place in the semi-finals.
The Salvadoran/Croatian pair will hope to continue their positive streak against the in-form team of the tournament, Heliovaara and Patten. Exceeding their billing as seventh seeds, the British/Finnish team was the lone doubles duo to post a 3-0 group record this week.
The opposite semi-final will see two pairs of countrymen square off as fifth-seeded Aussies Purcell and Thompson take on eighth-seeded Germans Krawietz and Puetz. Both teams finished round-robin play at 2-1. The Aussies finished second in the Mike Bryan Group while the Germans topped the Bob Bryan group thanks to their 5-2 set record.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz is knocked out of the 2024 ATP Finals following a straight-set defeat by Alexander Zverev in Turin.
They say lightning never strikes twice. Perhaps Taylor Fritz disagrees.
The American’s sizzling hitting against Alex de Minaur features in the latest Nitto ATP Finals Immersive Highlight, which aims to help attract a younger audience and present ATP tennis in a new and innovative way during the 2024 season finale. Thanks to a combination of Augmented Reality technology, 3D modelling and live data, fans can enjoy a baseline barrage from Fritz that ends with a forehand thunderbolt!
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
The semi-finals for the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals are set.
Jannik Sinner won the Ilie Nastase Group and will face Casper Ruud, the second-placed finisher in the John Newcombe Group. They will compete in the evening match, not before 8:30 p.m.
Sinner has won both of the pair’s previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, which came in Vienna in 2020 and 2021. The Italian triumphed in straight sets on both occasions.
Two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev topped the John Newcombe Group and will take on Taylor Fritz, who came in second in the Ilie Nastase Group.
Fritz leads his series with Zverev 6-5, having claimed four of their previous five clashes, including three straight victories this year. Fritz most recently emerged victorious 6-4, 7-5 at the Laver Cup. They will meet in the first semi-final not before 2:30 p.m.
In doubles, fifth seeds Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson will face eighth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the afternoon. Top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic will battle seventh seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten in the evening.
[ATP AWARDS]ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 2024
CENTRE COURT start 12 p.m.
[8] Kevin Krawietz (GER) / Tim Puetz (GER) vs [5] Max Purcell (AUS) / Jordan Thompson (AUS)Not Before 2:30 p.m.
[2] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs [5] Taylor Fritz (USA)
Not Before 6 p.m.
[7] Harri Heliovaara (FIN) / Henry Patten (GBR) vs [1] Marcelo Arevalo (SLV) / Mate Pavic (CRO)
Not Before 8:30 p.m.
[1] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs [6] Casper Ruud (NOR)
Casper Ruud sealed his spot in the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals for the third time on Friday night in Turin, where he overcame Andrey Rublev 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to end the World No. 9’s own progression hopes.
Ruud needed just a set to join the John Newcombe group winner Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals but ensured he would finish the round-robin stage with a 2-1 record after producing a high-class third-set performance against Rublev.
HE’S DONE IT 😤@CasperRuud98 defeats Rublev 6-4 5-7 6-2 and is back in the semi-finals for a third time in Turin!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/Y3OO9rxL22
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 15, 2024
Ruud arrived in Turin having lost his past four matches but has looked close to his best this week, also defeating Carlos Alcaraz.
“Tennis is interesting sometimes. I don’t know what I am doing better this week than the past few weeks but the only thing is serving, I am serving really well,” Ruud said after reaching the semis. “It is tough to play the best players in the world but nice because you feel you are an underdog and can play free and you know if you don’t bring your A plus level you will likely lose.
“I knew coming into this match that a set was enough to qualify, so I was a bit nervous at the start. So when I got that first set I could breath out a little. I still focused on the match and finished with a good third set.”
[ATP AWARDS]Ruud fired 34 winners and stepped into court behind pinpoint first serves to gain the upper hand in the baseline exchanges. With his one-hour, 45-minute victory, Ruud improved to 3-5 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Rublev.
Ruud fell to Novak Djokovic in the title match at the prestigious year-end event in 2022 and also reached the semi-finals on debut in 2021. The Norwegian will face the No 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Jannik Sinner in the last four on Saturday night, while Alexander Zverev takes on Taylor Fritz in the day.
Ruud trails Sinner 0-2 in the pair’s Head2Head series, but they have not met since 2021.
“I think so for sure,” Ruud said when asked if he is the underdog against Sinner. “He is the best player in the world all year and is playing at home and has not dropped a set all week. He is the player to beat this year and I am going to do my best. It seems like this guy almost forgot how to lose. I will see if I can come up with something to challenge here. I will be prepared for probably the toughest match of the year.”
Rublev ends the season 43-26, highlighted by his run to the title at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid. The 27-year-old went 0-3 in the round-robin stage in Turin, where he also lost to Zverev and Alcaraz.
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