After the surprising defeat of Novak Djokovic (No. 1 in the ATP world ranking) On the second day of the ATP Finals compared to Jannik Sinner (N°4), The Green Group was more turned on than ever and facing the last date there may be movements in the qualification positions for the semifinals.
With the second day of this past Tuesday, the group was left with Sinner first (2-0), Djokovic second (1-1), Holger Rune third (1-1) and Hubert Hurkacz fourth (0-0)who came in to replace Stefanos Tsitsipas (0-2) due to his absence from the tournament.
In this way, this Thursday’s matches will be crucial and these are the different scenarios according to each possible result. What does Djokovic need? First, beat Hurkacz. If he does it in straight sets, he will practically have one foot in the semifinals, unless Rune beats Sinner in three and there it would be defined by games.
If the Serbian wins in three, will need Sinner to beat the Dane. Opposite case, will be eliminated. However, If Nole were to lose to the Pole, he would have to wait for the Italian to win.. And in all scenarios, the one from Belgrade would advance as second even if they take the victory, which can make for an interesting match in the semis.
By winning his match, Sinner will be first, whatever happens with Djokovic. The issue is if he loses, because he could be second or even be eliminated. If Rune beats him in straight sets, the Italian would only be out if Djokovic wins in two (and if he does it in three, it will be defined by games). If San Candido loses, with the rest of the scenarios it would be second.
Holger Rune knows that only a victory in two sets can guarantee him a ticket and he would do so in first place in the Green Group, but he cannot risk winning in three because if Djokovic beats Hurkacz in straight sets, it will be decided by games. Anyway, if he goes to third and wins against Sinner, and Djokovic wins in three or Hurkacz takes the win (in two or three), he will advance first. The Dane would be automatically eliminated if he loses.
While, Hurkacz has no chance. Entering the scene with only one match left, even winning in straight sets they have no chance of reaching the semifinals. It should be remembered that he came in to replace Tsitsipas, who was suffering from discomfort, fell to Sinner in his debut and finally ended up losing while he was 1-2 against Rune in the first set.
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The post first appeared on www.espn.com.ar
