ATP

Djokovic through to semis in Tel Aviv, Sinner to face Rune in Sofia

By Sports Desk September 30, 2022

Novak Djokovic sealed his place in the final four at the Tel Aviv Open after beating one of his "best friends" Vasek Pospisil on Friday.

The Serbian was made to work hard by his Canadian opponent, particularly in the first set, but eventually won 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.

Djokovic was particularly impressive on his second serve, winning 70 per cent of them, only four per cent less than his first serve success rate, and he hit just eight unforced errors compared to Pospisil's 21.

"It was a great, positive win," Djokovic said afterwards. "Vasek is one of my best friends on the Tour. We have known each other for many years. It is never easy playing someone you respect so much and like so much, but we are both professionals and wanted to win the match and you can see that.

"I think the level of tennis was really high. Especially towards the end of the first set and the second set. Credit to him for fighting. It's great to see him back."

The number one seed will play Roman Safiullin in the semi-finals after the Russian beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-4 6-1.

Constant Lestienne came through a tight contest with Maxime Cressy, winning 6-7 (4-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-3), and will face number two seed Marin Cilic in the other semi after the Croatian was handed a bye following Liam Broady's withdrawal prior to their match.

At the Sofia Open, Jannik Sinner remains on course for a third successive title at the tournament, setting up a final-four encounter with Holger Rune after easing past Aleksandar Vukic 6-2 6-3, with Rune eventually dispatching Ilya Ivashka 6-2 5-7 6-4.

The other semi-final in Bulgaria will see Lorenzo Musetti take on Marc-Andrea Huesler after both won their respective quarter-finals against Jan-Lennard Struff and Kamil Majchrzak.

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    Carlos Alcaraz revealed that he struggled with illness during his opening game loss at the ATP Finals to Casper Ruud on Monday. 

    Alcaraz looked out of sorts as he fell to a 1-6 5-7 defeat to Ruud in just 86 minutes in Turin, and now faces an uphill struggle if he is to progress from the John Newcombe Group.

    During the contest, the Spaniard hit 26 unforced errors compared to his opponents' 10, while also failing to save any of the four break points he faced. 

    It also marked Alcaraz's first loss against Ruud in their fifth match against each other, with the 21-year-old confirming he had felt unwell leading up to the tournament. 

    “I don’t like talking about things like this because it sounds like an excuse and I don’t want to take anything away from what Casper did to win the match,” began Alcaraz.

    “Before coming here, I was unwell at home. When I got to Turin, practice was going well; I could handle long rallies, competing and playing.

    "And I hoped things would get better as the days went by.

    "I don’t know if it was because of the nerves of the first match, but I didn’t feel completely well. My stomach limited my game a lot and made me feel uncomfortable.

    "I could’ve done better. I’m not going to feel good in every match I play throughout the year, but it really limited me in terms of my recovery.”

    Alcaraz will be back on court on Wednesday, when he takes on the loser of Monday's clash between Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev.

    Failing to win would see the four-time grand slam champion fall short once again at the year-end tournament, but he was confident of claiming a maiden ATP Finals crown. 

    “I don’t want to think much beyond today... Given how I’ve felt, it’s difficult to think about the semis,” said Alcaraz.

    “The good thing in this sport is that your game can feel very bad one day and very good the next.

    "There have been many players who have lost the first match of the [Nitto] ATP Finals and ended up winning. I reached the semis last year after losing on the first day.

    "Now I want to take it day by day, to feel better, and see how the next match is. I’ll approach it as best I can. Let’s hope things turn out well.”

  • ATP Finals: Ruud stuns Alcaraz to claim 50th Tour-level win of the season ATP Finals: Ruud stuns Alcaraz to claim 50th Tour-level win of the season

    Casper Ruud believes his 50th Tour-level victory of 2024 was one of his best after he upset third seed Carlos Alcaraz in his opening match of the ATP Finals on Monday. 

    Ruud, who had registered just two wins since the US Open, sealed a 6-1 7-5 win in just 86 minutes against Alcaraz for his maiden Top 3 triumph on hard courts. 

    The Norwegian reeled off five consecutive games from 1-1 to claim the first set at a canter but had to battle from the brink to secure a straight-set victory in Turin. 

    Alcaraz had raced into a 5-2 lead in the second set but was unable to hold on, with Ruud roaring back to sit top of the early standings in the John Newcombe Group. 

    "It's only one match, but it's one of the best wins of the season in terms of who I am playing and his ranking," Ruud said.

    "I feel really happy, of course. I think we have seen Carlos play better tennis, but I took care of my chances. 

    "I haven't been boosting with confidence in the last few months so it was a great win for me and I would like to get some more wins in Turin.

    "I got a good start, I got a break early and in the second set I managed to turn it around with some good tennis at the end."

    Ruud will next seek to earn a second win on Wednesday when he will face either Alexander Zverev or Andrey Rublev, who play later on Monday. 

    Data Debrief: Ruud awakening

    Although Alcaraz appeared below his physical best during Monday's encounter, Ruud took full advantage to continue his impressive streak against the very best in the world. 

    The Norwegian's latest win saw his record against players in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings improve to 5-2, and he was a worthy winner in Turin. 

    Ruud converted all four of the break points he was presented with, ending the contest with 10 unforced errors compared to Alcaraz's 26. 

  • ATP Finals: Sinner shakes off rust to beat De Minaur ATP Finals: Sinner shakes off rust to beat De Minaur

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    Playing on home soil in Turin, the Italian reeled off a 6-3 6-4 victory over De Minaur in 85 minutes, making a winning start to his bid to escape the Ilie Nastase Group, also containing Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev.

    It was Sinner's first match since he won the Shanghai Masters on October 13, but he overcame some early nerves to showcase his impressive power from the baseline.

    Asked about the impact of his long wait between matches, Sinner said: "Considering that, I'm very happy. 

    "I started off with some unforced errors. He was playing great in the beginning of the match, so I just tried to stay there mentally, knowing that hopefully at some point my tennis would arrive. It arrived quite early, and I started to return very well.

    "My serve, for sure I have to improve if I want to win the next match. Against Taylor, today he played really well. Hopefully this can give me confidence for the next one."

    Data Debrief: The man for the big stage

    Sinner's victory over ninth-ranked De Minaur is his 13th against a top-10 player in ATP events this calendar year, having also done so in 2023.

    He is just the fifth player aged 23 or under to reach that mark in back-to-back seasons since 1973, after legendary quartet Bjorn Borg (1977-79), Ivan Lendl (1980-82), Pete Sampras (1993-94) and Rafael Nadal (2008-09)

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