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Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic will face each other for the second time this week after both men progressed from Saturday’s semi-finals at the Pala Alpitour in Torino.
In the opening semi-final of the day, Jannik Sinner made it three wins in a row against Daniil Medvedev with a 6-3 6-7(4) 6-1 victory before Novak Djokovic swiftly joined him after a virtuoso 6-3 6-2 win over Carlos Alcaraz.
ATP Finals 2023 Semi-Final Results
Winner | Loser | Scoreline |
---|---|---|
Jannik Sinner | Daniil Medvedev | 6-3 6-7(1) 6-1 |
Novak Djokovic | Jannik Sinner | 6-3 6-2 |
Sinner Sinks Medvedev
Jannik Sinner notched up his third victory in a row against Daniil Medvedev with another impressive performance to win through 6-3 6-7(4) 6-1 in 2 hours and 29 minutes.
Earlier this season, it looked like Medvedev had the Italian’s number, having won their first six encounters, but Sinner has flipped the script to bag wins in the finals of Beijing and Vienna, followed by today’s semi-final in Turin.
Heading into this match, the bookies had Sinner with a 58% probability of winning, and rightly so, as he’s played the best tennis of anyone in Turin so far.
Despite that, I thought if Medvedev could make it physical, he’d be able to wear Sinner down, but instead, it was the Russain who ran out of gas.
In the opener, Medvedev started the stronger of the two, creating an early break point, but in the fourth game, Sinner reeled off five points in a row to capture a break of serve, which he maintained to serve out the set comfortably 6-3.
In set two, Medvedev’s resilience came to the fore, and he was the guy edging most of the rallies, and while Sinner held firm, the tiebreak saw Medvedev make the better start, and he captured it 7-4 to force a decider.
After receiving a visit from the trainer for a hip issue, Medvedev saved two break points to force a deuce in his opening service game, but upon facing a third break point, he went huge on the second serve and double-faulted to give Sinner a 2-0 lead.
That set the tone of the set, and Sinner consolidated for 3-0 and won three of the following four games to coast through the set 6-1 as Medvedev had no answers.
It is an incredible feeling. It was a really tough match today. I felt that he was playing more aggressively, especially in the first set. Somehow, I made the break, and from that point, I felt better. The second set was really tight, but then he played a very good tiebreak. In the third set, I just tried to stay a bit more aggressive and mixing up my game a little bit. I am happy to be in the final. Sinner on making the final in Turin.
Match Stats
Jannik Sinner | Daniil Medvedev | |
---|---|---|
Aces | 10 | 10 |
Double Faults | 2 | 2 |
1st Serve Percentage | 58% | 63% |
1st Serve Points Won | 83% (50/60) | 80% (44/55) |
2nd Serve Points Won | 48% (21/44) | 36% (12/33) |
Break Points Saved | 100% (2/2) | 57% (4/7) |
1st Return Points Won | 20% (11/55) | 17% (10/60) |
2nd Return Points Won | 64% (21/33) | 52% (23/44) |
Break Points Converted | 43% (3/7) | 0% (0/2) |
Winners | 29 | 30 |
Unforced Errors | 13 | 14 |
Net Points Won | 85% (17/20) | 57% (12/21) |
Max Points In Row | 6 | 5 |
Service Points Won | 68% (71/104) | 64% (56/88) |
Return Points Won | 36% (32/88) | 32% (33/104) |
Total Points Won | 54% (103/192) | 46% (89/192) |
Max Games In Row | 3 | 1 |
Service Games Won | 100% (15/15) | 77% (10/13) |
Return Games Won | 23% (3/13) | 0% (0/15) |
Total Games Won | 64% (18/28) | 36% (10/28) |
Highlights
Djokovic Shuts Down Alcaraz
After Sinner helped Novak qualify for the semi-finals, the Serb played with house money in his semi-final, making him an even more dangerous proposition.
And so it proved as he delivered incredible defence with a consistent offence that was too much for Alcaraz to handle.
In the first set, the Spaniard came out with intent, creating two break points in the opening game, only for Djokovic to erase them, one of which, thanks to a 205km/h second serve.
Until game seven, Alcaraz had shown plenty of high-quality shotmaking, along with serving lights out, but as soon as Djokovic could get some returns in play, he made his move.
Under pressure, Alcaraz’s backhand fired several unforced errors, allowing the world number one to break for 5-3. He served out the set with no problems.
In set two, Djokovic made his move early with a break in game three, which he consolidated for 3-1.
At 2-3, a red lining Alcaraz created two break points and celebrated like he’d just won the tournament.
An unwise move as Djokovic came up with some unbelievable tennis to pull off the hold for 4-2. The point at 30-40 was off the charts.
That hold freed Djokovic up, and he was soon up 15-40 with one foot in the final. Alcaraz saved both break points with some bold play, but a third soon followed, and Novak again came up with an incredible point to secure the double break. Too good, and he served out the match to fifteen.
After spending a lot of time on the court in the first three matches, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel tonight. This year I wasn’t maybe as sharp in the second and third group matches, particularly, but I think tonight from the very beginning, I felt the ball well. I approached the match with the right attitude the right mentality, and I knew from the very first point it was going to be greatly intense. He had break points right away, 15/40 in the first game. That’s Carlos. He always brings out his best in these kinds of matches and starts with a lot of high-quality tennis and intensity. You’ve got to match that, try to weather the storm, and I did that. Djokovic on his impressive semi final win over Alcaraz.
Match Stats
Carlos Alcaraz | Novak Djokovic | |
---|---|---|
Aces | 10 | 2 |
Double Faults | 1 | 1 |
1st Serve Percentage | 84% | 67% |
1st Serve Points Won | 62% (29/47) | 81% (30/37) |
2nd Serve Points Won | 33% (3/9) | 56% (10/18) |
Break Points Saved | 63% (5/8) | 100% (4/4) |
1st Return Points Won | 19% (7/37) | 38% (18/47) |
2nd Return Points Won | 44% (8/18) | 67% (6/9) |
Break Points Converted | 0% (0/4) | 38% (3/8) |
Winners | 22 | 15 |
Unforced Errors | 18 | 5 |
Net Points Won | 61% (11/18) | 81% (13/16) |
Max Points In Row | 4 | 6 |
Service Points Won | 57% (32/56) | 73% (40/55) |
Return Points Won | 27% (15/55) | 43% (24/56) |
Total Points Won | 42% (47/111) | 58% (64/111) |
Max Games In Row | 1 | 3 |
Service Games Won | 63% (5/8) | 100% (9/9) |
Return Games Won | 0% (0/9) | 38% (3/8) |
Total Games Won | 29% (5/17) | 71% (12/17) |
Highlights
2023 ATP Finals Schedule
Order of Play – Sunday, 19th November
Afternoon Session – Starts at 3 pm.
- (5) Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos vs. (6) Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury
- Not Before 6.00 pm – (4) Jannik Sinner vs (1) Novak Djokovic
Who do you think will win the 2023 ATP Finals? Let me know the comments.
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