Sinner and Medvedev define the fate of their group in Turin | Nitto ATP Finals

The Nitto ATP Finals 2024 will find out their first semi-finalists this Thursday. It will be a heart-stopping day considering that Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Álex de Miñaur have a chance of getting through the group stage.

In doubles, meanwhile, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten will face Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic in the Mike Bryan Group, while the Australians Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson will face Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

[1] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. [4] Daniil Medvedev
Jannik Sinner will have an opportunity this Thursday that he has been dreaming of taking advantage of for a long time. And it’s not exactly qualifying as the leader of his group at the Nitto ATP Finals. He is moving on to lead his Lexus ATP HeadToHead with Daniil Medvedev for the first time in his career.

It wouldn’t be any achievement for the Italian considering he lost his first six duels with Medvedev, three of them in straight sets. In March 2023 they lost the rivalry 0-6, left it at 5-6 in March of this year, and equaled it (7-7) only in October by winning the quarterfinals of the ATP Masters 1000 in Shanghai.

Now he is one step away from turning around a record that for a long time was his worst nightmare. After all, this is the player he has faced the most times in his career. This Thursday, in the last game of the day, chapter No. 15 will take place between the two as rivals.

“[Medvedev] “It has been one of my key points to evolve as a player, because it was very difficult for me to beat him,” said Sinner in Turin. “Now, each game is quite open, you never know what is going to happen. “He is a very tough rival.”

A win would also send Sinner as the group stage leader for the second consecutive year at the Nitto ATP Finals. Even winning a set, depending on other results, would send him to the next phase of a tournament in which he was a finalist in 2023. In addition, winning would also see him add his ninth consecutive victory.

Medvedev, for his part, needs a victory so as not to depend on others in his intention to return to the semifinals in Turin, a round in which he was a year ago before falling precisely to Sinner in the decider. On his side, he has the confidence of having won in straight sets on Tuesday against Álex de Minaur to compensate for his loss in straight sets on Sunday against Taylor Fritz.

“You have to play a perfect match to beat Jannik,” said Medvedev, who is one win away from 380 in his career on the ATP Tour. “From start to finish, you have to be there, you have to physically tire him out. If you are not able to do it from the beginning, he takes control of the match and it is difficult to break his rhythm. “He is a very, very tough rival, especially here in Italy.”

[5] Taylor Fritz (USA) vs. [7] Alex de Minaur (AUS)
Another old rivalry will have a new chapter this Thursday in Turin when the American seeks revenge against the Australian. The latter, in addition to leading the Lexus ATP HeadToHead 5-3 between the two, won the last two duels between the two, played in Canada 2023 and the United Cup 2024.

“I played against him in the second match this year at the United Cup and I personally think it was one of the highest levels of tennis I’ve seen on the other side of the court,” Fritz said of his 6-0 loss. 4, 6-2 to start this season.

The No. 9 in the PIF ATP Rankings will need to replicate that performance if he wants to get past the group stage of a tournament in which he is making his first appearance. A convincing win in straight sets, as well as another by Jannik Sinner over Daniil Medvedev later in the day, could rank him second in the group by percentage of games won.

The reason is that, in that scenario, he would have a record of 1-2 in matches and 2-4 in sets like Fritz and Medvedev. And not only would he become one of the tournament’s few semi-finalists despite losing his first four sets in the group stage. He would also move to No. 7 in the live rankings, surpassing Andrey Rublev and Novak Djokovic.

Of course, it will not be easy to achieve it against a Fritz who has had one of the best seasons of his career, especially in recent months when he even reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open.

“Taylor Fritz is powerful, calm under pressure and has a great serve,” De Minaur said. “It has a lot of power. “He has shown what he is capable of this year.”

The No. 5 in the PIF ATP Rankings also needs the most convincing victory possible to not depend on others in his intention to qualify for the semifinals of the Nitto ATP Finals for the second time in his career, and the first time since his debut in 2022 .

doubles action
Seventh seeds Heliovaara and Patten post a perfect 2-0 record without dropping sets this week. Putting that unbeaten record on the line, they will take on Koolhof and Mektic knowing that winning a single heat will confirm their first place in the Mike Bryan Group.

Australians Purcell and Thompson sit second in the group at 1-1 and also control their own destiny in the semi-finals, while Granollers and Zeballos need a win and some help to advance to the knockout rounds.