Nadal saves match point, keeps ATP dreams alive

LONDON: Rafael Nadal came back from the dead against Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday to keep his ATP Finals hopes alive and boost his chances of finishing as the year-end number one.

The Spaniard was on the brink of defeat when facing a match point on his own serve after being broken twice in the deciding set but stormed back to win 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/4).

Both players were under intense pressure after losing their opening round-robin matches in Group Andre Agassi ahead of the match at London’s O2 Arena.

Nadal is on a double mission in London — aiming to win the end-of-season event for the first time in his illustrious career and to secure the year-end number one spot.

THIEM TAMES DJOKER

Dominic Thiem landed one too many punches even for Novak Djokovic to handle.

In a seesawing crowd pleaser that lasted nearly three hours and featured a handful of momentum shifts in the third set, Thiem outlasted Djokovic 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (5) on Tuesday to become the first player to advance from the group stage at the ATP Finals.

“It was maybe the best match I ever played,” said Thiem, a twotime French Open runner-up.

“It was a real classic and epic match which will happen from time to time at these big tournaments.

“It had everything - He was up; I was up. He was playing amazing points. Me, I was playing amazing points.”