Carlos Alcaraz set up a great showdown with Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals as he faced Daniil Medvedev to reach the semi-finals and secure his status as Red Group winner. After losing to Medvedev at the US Open, Alcaraz avenged his loss with a 6-4 6-4 win. And he now faces Djokovic on Saturday – their first meeting since the thrilling Cincinnati final.
Alcaraz took to the court knowing he had to beat Medvedev to win the group to stay alive in the tournament, with the 27-year-old already in the semi-finals. The Spaniard was still trying to find his best form after a difficult few months and had gone 1-1 in his first two round-robin matches with Medvedev winning both of his ties.
The world No. 2 is also bidding for revenge on Medvedev after they lost their most recent meeting in the US Open semi-finals, ending his title defense bid. The Russian looked to strike first early in their ATP Finals with two chances to break but Alcaraz jumped into life, pointing to the sky as he saved both and won an incredible 33-shot rally with winner at the net before holding for 2 -2.
That game seemed to give Alcaraz the boost he needed as he had his turn to have break points a few games later. The 20-year-old let his guard down as he hit some impressive shots, smiling as he recreated one of his goals as he sat down at the substitution. And the break was very important when he closed the first set 6-4 after 40 minutes.
Alcaraz tried to strike early again in the second set as he had a few break points in the third game. But Medvedev suddenly turned into a wall, getting every ball back and failing. The 20-year-old knew it would take something special to break down his opponent but he was up for the challenge.
With Medvedev serving at 4-4, Alcaraz ran him around the court and drew out several errors from the third seed to earn two more chances to break. A double fault gave him the match and he went on to claim a straight win – just what he needed to top the Red Group.
This is the first time this week that Medvedev has even lost a set over his round robin matches and serves as the perfect redemption for Alcaraz, who has struggled to find his best form in recent months. The Spaniard began the week on a three-match losing streak for the first time since 2021 when he was beaten by Alexander Zverev in his opening match.
It happened when he lost his opening match in Paris-Bercy and crashed out in the last 16 of the Shanghai Masters. But Alcaraz has turned things around and is now in the semi-finals of the ATP Finals debuting as the group winner.
He will face Djokovic on Saturday after the No. With Djokovic, Alcaraz, Medvedev and Jannik Sinner progressing to the semi-finals, it is only the fourth time in ATP Finals history that the top four players in the world have made it out of the group stage after the same thing happened in 1990, 2004. and 2020.
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