Djokovic defeats Hurkacz; awaits semi-finals fate

Novak Djokovic, a six-time Nitto ATP Finals champion, beat Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-1 on Thursday to keep his chances of reaching the Turin semi-finals alive.

Djokovic, who now leads the Green Group 2-1, now awaits the outcome of the match between Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner, with the Italian needing to win for him to advance.

”I was focused to win [my] match, so I did. The outcome of tonight's match is not in my hands, that's it,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference.

Djokovic, aiming for his 12th semi-final appearance in 16 Nitto ATP Finals appearances, maneuvered through a heavy-hitting, first-strike clash with Hurkacz. Throughout the two-hour, four-minute match, both players fought for court positioning, hugging the baseline tight behind their serves.

Djokovic struck the ball cleanly while drawing unforced errors from Hurkacz's forehand in crucial moments, such as at the end of the first set, when the World No. 1 won 10 consecutive points from 6-5 to 6/0 in the tiebreak.

Djokovic, 36, finished the match with 13 unforced errors to Hurkacz's 41, including 23 from his forehand. The Belgrade native was also more dominant with his second serve, winning 73% of his second-serve points to 32% for his opponent.

Djokovic's three group-stage matches have all gone three sets, resulting in the defending champion spending more than eight hours on court across three matches. Djokovic could make even more history this week as he seeks to surpass Roger Federer's record of seven Nitto ATP Finals titles.

Sinner now controls Djokovic's semi-final fate. If Djokovic defeats Rune on Thursday evening, he will finish second in the Green Group and advance. If Rune defeats Sinner, the Dane will win the group, while the home favourite will finish second, thereby eliminating Djokovic. Since 2019, the Serbian has not been eliminated from the Nitto ATP Finals group stage.

SportsLigue