Novak Djokovic routs Carlos Alcaraz, faces Jannik Sinner for title،
Top-ranked Novak Djokovic will attempt to win a record seventh ATP Finals title when he faces local favorite Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final after both won their semi-final matches.
Djokovic, 36, needed less than 90 minutes to beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2 in a match between the top two players on Saturday night, after Sinner eliminated Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-7 ( 4), 6-1.
Djokovic is currently tied with Roger Federer with six titles in the season-ending tournament for the top eight players of the year, while Sinner is the first Italian player to reach the final.
Earlier this week, Sinner, 22, recorded his first-ever victory against Djokovic, who will also once again face a passionate, partisan crowd – including the orange-clad “Carota Boys” – who showed Sinner plenty of support Saturday. . With many fans chanting his name between points, Sinner raised his arms to the joyful crowd after serving out the love match against 2020 champion Medvedev.
“It’s a privilege to be under that kind of pressure,” Sinner said. “The crowd gave me so much energy.
“It was a very difficult match. He started better than me, then I managed to get the break and I felt a little better.”
Sinner won all four of his matches at the ATP Finals, including this fascinating victory over Djokovic.
“He’s playing fantastic tennis, probably the best tennis of his life,” Djokovic said. “We played a very close match the other night. The atmosphere was incredible, really electric. I don’t expect anything less than that, probably even stronger than what we had in the group stage.
“It’s the final. I’ve been in this situation many times before. I’m really happy with how I feel, with the way I’m playing, so I hope I can deliver my best game tomorrow.”
Alcaraz and Djokovic had faced each other four times previously and won two each. Djokovic won their last meeting in the final in Cincinnati in August, while Alcaraz won the Wimbledon final with a five-set victory.
The latest battle between the two never reached that level of drama, as Djokovic clinically took his chances after recovering from having to dodge two break points in the opening match.
“I approached the match with the right attitude, the right mentality, and I knew from the first point that it was going to be very intense,” Djokovic said. “He had break points straight away, 15-40 in the first game.
“It’s Carlos. He always does his best in these kinds of matches and starts with a lot of high quality tennis and intensity. You have to rise to the occasion, try to weather the storm, and that’s what that I did.”
Djokovic took the lead in the eighth game as Alcaraz – playing in his first ATP final – saved a break point, but then hit a backhand into the net to let Djokovic serve for the set. He did it for love, and he managed to walk away with an ace.
Djokovic had won his last 15 matches after winning the first set, and the writing appeared on the wall for Alcaraz when his opponent won a set and broke early in the second set.
Alcaraz had the chance to tie the set in the sixth game, but Djokovic saved two break points, the second with a sumptuous crosscourt forehand that brought roars of approval from the crowd. Djokovic lapped it up, raising his arms before bringing his hand to his ear, nodding and pumping his fist.
Djokovic broke in the next game and then duly served for the match. He will look to improve on his 6-2 record in ATP Finals title matches.
Sinner already occupies fourth place in the rankings, the highest rise an Italian has experienced since Adriano Panatta almost half a century ago. His victory over third-place Medvedev also saw him become the Italian with the most wins over the top five players (10), breaking Panatta’s record.
Medvedev had won all six of his matches against Sinner before last month, but the Italian player ended that streak with final victories in Beijing and Vienna.
Sinner took the only break in the first set – after fending off a break point earlier – but Medvedev appeared to get stronger as the match progressed.
Medvedev cruised through the second set tiebreaker and leveled the match on the second of three set points when Sinner hit a long forehand.
There was a long delay before the deciding set as Medvedev was treated off court, but Sinner managed to stay focused during the break and broke his opponent’s serve in the second game following a rare double fault from the player Russian.
Nerves seemed to set in for Medvedev, and moments later he lost a scintillating rally and threw his racket onto the boards before protesting to the crowd as boos rang out.
Medvedev managed to avoid a complete collapse, but Sinner dominated the deciding game and broke again in the sixth game before serving out the victory.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
