Novak Djokovic embarks upon his final round-robin match at The O2 Arena with the luxury of already qualifying for the semi-finals. The world No.1 will be looking to continue his flawless run when he takes on Marin Cilic on Friday evening. Cilic secured only his second ever win at the tournament two days ago after downing John Isner in three sets.
Elsewhere, Isner faces Alexander Zverev in a battle for the second qualifying spot in the group, which Cilic also has a shot at if he defeats Djokovic. Isner has a losing head-to-head record against his German rival (1-4), but they are square so far this season at 1-1.
The winner of the Guga Kuerten Group will play Kevin Anderson in Saturday’s semi-finals. Meanwhile, the runner-up will take on Roger Federer.
Advancement Scenarios for Thursday:
- Novak Djokovic has already qualified for the semifinal round on Saturday.
- Sascha Zverev advances with a win, or if he loses in three sets to Isner AND Djokovic defeats Cilic.
- Marin Cilic not only needs to win, but also needs Isner to defeat Zverev.
- John Isner needs to win in straight sets, and even then needs Djokovic to win as well.
Sascha Zverev vs. John Isner
The biggest win of Isner’s career came at the expense of Zverev. That was earlier this year in the final of the Miami Masters. But that remains John’s only victory over Sascha. The 21-year-old German got revenge just a few weeks later on clay in Madrid, and holds a 4-1 record overall against the American on the ATP tour. And that doesn’t include their most recent meeting at the Laver Cup, which saw Zverev save a match point to prevail. Sascha has now twice defeated John on an indoor hard court. Neither man has played their best tennis this week, or in recent months for that matter. But Isner’s form this week has been particularly worrying, as the big man has seen his serve broken three times in each of his previous two matches. And considering John is only 5-5 during this fall’s indoor hard court season, I like Zverev’s chances to win today and qualify for the semifinals.
Novak Djokovic vs. Marin Cilic
These two played a significant match in London just five months ago. In the Queen’s Club final this past June, Cilic saved a match point to come from behind and defeat Djokovic. Novak however has twice beaten Marin since that time: at the Cincinnati Masters, and just two weeks ago at the Paris Masters. All three of their 2018 meetings have gone the distance, so Cilic has been pushing the new world No.1 throughout the year. In their careers, Cilic only possesses two victories over Djokovic in 18 previous encounters, with his only other win coming at the Paris Masters in 2016. Novak actually won their first 14 matches, and they’ve now split their last four. Djokovic should be able to play extremely freely in this match, knowing he’ll be in Saturday’s semifinals regardless of the outcome. Cilic’s advancement will depend upon his performance on Friday, as well as that of the match from earlier in the day. Novak is now 33-11 lifetime at the ATP Finals, while Cilic only holds two victories out of eleven matches at the O2. Djokovic will be a heavy favorite to remain undefeated heading into the semifinal round.
