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Medvedev, Sinner in final Red Group matches
After rocking the Pala Alpitour on Tuesday with an unforgettable Nitto ATP Finals debut, 20-year-old Jannik Sinner takes on defending champion Daniil Medvedev during the night session.

He will be facing steep uphill climb against World No. 2 Medvedev. Sinner is 0-8 in matches against the Top 5 in the FedEx ATP Rankings, including an 0-2 ATP Head2Head against Medvedev – both matches took place on the indoor hard courts of the Open 13 Provence in Marseille.

“Of course, you want to go on to the semi-finals, you’re trying to do your best, but on the other hand, these are the best eight players in the world. And with me, nine,” Sinner said. “Everyone is tough to beat here, so let’s see what’s coming.”

Regardless of the result against Sinner, Medvedev is already through to the semi-finals. The Russian is seeking to become the first player to win back-to-back Nitto ATP Finals titles since Djokovic won four straight between 2012 and 2015.


Third seed Alexander Zverev is one win away from returning to the Nitto ATP Finals semi-finals, but there’s a lot more at stake on Thursday as Hubert Hurkacz and Jannik Sinner are also bidding to extend their stay in Turin.

The German will take on seventh seed Hurkacz with the fate of the Red Group hanging on the line. With defending champion Daniil Medvedev already safely through to the semi-finals, there’s one spot left in the final four – and Zverev, Hurkacz and Sinner can all make a play on it.

For Olympic gold medalist Zverev, the mission is simple: win and he’s in. The 2018 champion has yet to post a statement victory in Turin, and his win-loss record sits at 1-1 after his opening matches. He won via retirement against an injured Matteo Berrettini, and narrowly lost in three sets to Medvedev, but he still favours his chances in the event.

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“This is not like any other tournament. I am in the tournament still, I still have a chance to win the tournament and this is what I’m thinking to myself,” Zverev said on Tuesday. “Of course, I wanted to win [against Medvedev], there’s no doubt about it, I lost 8/6 in a third-set tie-break. But the tournament isn’t done yet.”

It’s a position he has been in before: Zverev owns the longest streak of consecutive appearances at the Nitto ATP Finals among active players and is the second-most experienced competitor in the eight-man field behind Novak Djokovic.

During his title-winning run in 2018, Zverev similarly arrived at his last round-robin match with a 1-1 record after winning over Marin Cilic and losing to Djokovic. Back then, the German found a way to overpower John Isner in straight sets to send him into the semi-finals.

How To Watch The 2021 Nitto ATP Finals

He’ll be hoping for more of the same against Hurkacz on Thursday. Zverev owns a 1-0 lead in the ATP Head2Head against Hurkacz, but a lot has changed since that three-set match in Madrid in 2019.

“I’m ready to play Hubi on Thursday, and I think that will be the deciding match for me,” Zverev said. “I’m excited, I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s all in my hands, kind of.”

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In doubles, fourth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos are one win away from the semi-finals as they take on eighth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau. Top seeds Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic will face sixth seeds Ivan Dodig and FIlip Polasek – both teams come into the match with a 1-1 record in the Green Group.

ORDER OF PLAY - THURSDAY, 18 NOVEMBER 2021
CENTRE COURT start 11:30 am
[4] M. Granollers (ESP) / H. Zeballos (ARG) vs [8] K. Krawietz (GER) / H. Tecau (ROU)

Not Before 2:00 pm
[3] A. Zverev (GER) vs [7] H. Hurkacz (POL)

Not Before 6:30 pm
[1] N. Mektic (CRO) / M. Pavic (CRO) vs [6] I. Dodig (CRO) / F. Polasek (SLO)

Not Before 9:00 pm
[2] D. Medvedev (RUS) vs [Alt/9] J. Sinner (ITA)

See below semi-final qualification scenarios in play for both groups at the Nitto ATP Finals:

Singles Green Group qualification scenarios as of Thursday, 18 November:
After defeating Rublev in straight sets, Djokovic has qualified for the semi-finals and won the group.

- Rublev qualifies on Friday if he defeats Ruud.
- Ruud qualifies on Friday if he defeats Rublev.
- Norrie cannot advance to the semi-finals.