The final day of round robin matches was Day Six of the Nitto ATP Finals in London.
It would decide the final semi finalist - the second in Group Guga Kuerten
Already from Group Lleyton Hewitt, the semi finalists are:
- Roger Federer (2)
- Kevin Anderson (4)
Group Guga Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (1)
Sascha Zverev (3)
Marin Cilic (5)
John Isner (8)
Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (2)
Kevin Anderson (4)
Dominic Thiem (6)
Kei Nishikori (7)
Day Six round robin matches
Sascha Zverev (3) v John Isner (8)
To make it through to the semi finals, Isner needed to win in straight sets, and have Djokovic defeat Cilic. Then the American would break a tie between he, Zverev and Cilic on ratio of sets won (3-4, 2-4, 2-5 or 3-5).
Isner began in fine fashion, holding serve with ease, and never allowing Zverev to take him to deuce. The German, on just one occasion, was taken for a brief journey to that feared place.
No service break though for the first eleven games.
Isner created a chance when Zverev served at 5-6, after a hot forehand winner. Zverev shut it down with an ace, and followed up with solid play to force a tie break.
Isner, with a forehand error at 4-4 in the tie break, was given a brief reprieve by Zverev, but at 5-6, Isner repeated his mistake and the set was over, as was the tournament for him.
Zverev led 7-6(5), but more importantly had qualified as the second semi finalist in Group Guga Kuerten, and booked a meeting with Roger Federer.
Set two was much easier for Zverev, and possibly because its result no more had any effect on the outcome of the tournament.
The first break point arrived when Isner was serving at 3-4, the American pushed beyond the baseline and out of play. Isner came to the net behind his serve in an attempt to save the break point, but the return from Zverev was low, enabling him to rush to the net in turn, and shoot a forehand past a stranded Isner.
Having converted the break point, Zverev served out the match 7-6(5) 6-3.
He now moves past the injured del Potro and will finish the year as world number four.
Novak Djokovic (1) v Marin Cilic (5)
The first set was close to the best piece of tennis seen all tournament, and credit to both players, especially Cilic, who was only playing for pride.
Serves were held with ease, only one break point appearing, quickly squashed by Cilic, and a tie break was the obvious decider.
Fourteen straight points were won on serve, such was the quality displayed by both players at the line. Djokovic, under the most pressure he’d felt for the week, managed to pull the shots out when it mattered and pushed ahead 8-7, with serve to come.
The top seed won the set 7-6(7).
Djokovic moved up a gear, as he is so often able to do, and produced a break opportunity in the opening game of set two. Cilic extinguished this one, and held serve, taking the lead for the first time in the match. Djokovic replied with a love service game, which meant that he had won 31 successive points on his serve. With his delivery from the line now a strength in the overall arsenal, players are doubly in trouble against Novak, renowned already as one of the greatest returners of serve in history.
Ciclic responded well to pressure in the third game to lead again 2-1, but was unable to repeat the dose, and Djokovic ran out the match, breaking Cilic twice to win 7-6(7) 6-2.
The semi finals line up has gone as per the seedlings:
Semi Final 1:
Roger Federer (2) v Sascha Zverev (3)
Semi Final 2:
Novak Djokovic (1) v Kevin Anderson (4)
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