ATP Finals – Nadal remains alive as Tsitsipas continues form
STEFANOS Tsitsipas was already a popular player internationally after his Australian Open run at the start of the year, but now the talented Greek youngster is on the verge of securing a semi-finals berth after smashing seventh seed Alexander Zverev, 6-3 6-2. Wary of the danger Zverev possesses following the German’s unbelievable straight sets win over Rafael Nadal, Tsitsipas did not give him an inch during the game and now faces Nadal in what will determine at least one semi-final. If Nadal wins and Zverev defeats the now eliminated fourth seed Daniil Medvedev, then three players will sit with two wins from three matches and sets followed by games won will come into account.
Tsitsipas proved a hard man to break, winning 86 per cent of his points on serve and saving Zverev’s only chance to break. He returned serve to break the German four times from seven chances while producing 22 winners and only 10 unforced errors. Tsitsipas’ dominance at the net was the difference between the sides, winning 20 of a possible 21 points when in close, while Zverev – more comfortable at the baseline managed just seven from 18. All in all, Tsitsipas never gave Zverev a chance, playing consistent tennis to down his opponent and move through to what will likely be a semi-final in the ATP Finals.
In the other game, Nadal was able to survive an almighty scare against Medvedev to remain in contention for the ATP Finals semis. The 6-7 6-3 7-6 win will not be great in the countback given his straight sets loss to Zverev, but if Medvedev can topple the German in the final round, then Nadal can slide into the semis with a win over Tsitsipas. There was no doubt about the game – it was sloppy. With a combined 88 unforced errors, 51 of which came off Medvedev’s racquet while Nadal had 37, the pair was engaged in hard hitting rallies taking risks but also gaining rewards. The Russian’s 42 winners kept him in the contest until going down in the second tiebreaker, but again it was the net points that helped Nadal get up, as he won 70 per cent compared to his opponents’ 48 per cent up close.
Day 4 Results – Agassi Group:
[6] Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated [7] Alexander Zverev 6-3 6-2
[1] Rafael Nadal defeated [4] Daniil Medvedev 6-7 6-3 7-6
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