Week 46 - ATP World Tour Finals, London (hard)

JonH · All-time great

Week 46 - ATP World Tour Finals, London (hard)

indiana · Tennis legend

2017 ATP World Tour Finals

JonH · All-time great

Watching the highlights last night, between watching Tears for Fears in concert on the red button (took me back - my first ever concert at Newcastle City Hall was Tears for Fears!), anyway Tsonga looked sharp and hungry. His main aim will be Davis Cup finals no doubt

indiana · Tennis legend

Defeats for Carreno Busta and Querrey, currently 8th and 9th respectively in the race of these still standing, leave the former's finals place resting on a rather shoogly peg and the latter definitely out of contention unless some other withdrawal(s). Plus Goffin in 7th is now looking an even more likely tour finalist.

JonH · All-time great

8 players left in the running for those two places:

8th - Goffin 2895 (can rise to 3885)

9th Carreno Busta 2615

13th Del Potro 2425 (a set up as I write which will take him to 2505 and a max of 3415 - must reach semi in Paris to have a chance)

14th Tsonga 2320 (a set up as I write which will take him to 2400 and a max of 3310 - must reach semi in Paris to have a chance)

16th Pouille 2235 ( can rise to 3145 - must reach final in paris to have a chance)

19th Isner 1995 (can rise to 2905 - must win in Paris)

20th Bautista Agut 1935 (can rise to 2925 - must win in Paris)

23rd Sock 1775 (can rise to 2765 - must win in Paris)

JonH · All-time great

And Tsonga falls leaving 7 in the running for those 2 places.

JonH · All-time great

And Klaasen and Ram lose meaning that Dodig and granollers should now have the final doubles place tied up.

JonH · All-time great

Well, well. Goffin would have qualified with a win today and promptly lost in straight sets to Benneteau!

Stumbling over the line. DelPo looking well placed now, reached the QF round at Paris

indiana · Tennis legend

As aside, re who is going to be the new WR 3 post Paris, once Sascha Zverev exited, Thiem, Cilic and Dimitrov were each in the position that they would go #3 if they won the Paris title. Thiem and Dimitrov have lost today so only Cilic can now oust Zverev. Cilic plays later today.

Just think, if Rafa and Fed had gone missing this season that quartet might have been in a battle for WR 1 and with all ( OK some ) due respect as it is we will have the relatively weakest WR 3 than for quite a while.

indiana · Tennis legend

After his escape of yesterday Sock has beaten Pouille to reach the QF and retain a finals interest, having started the week at #24 in the race ( that's counting everyone breathing not just true ATP finals contenders ).

JonH · All-time great

...and that win over Pouille by Sock guarantees Goffin a spot now, definitely stumbled over the line.

One place left and Carreno Busta, Del Potro, Isner, Bautista Agut and Sock left.

Latter 3 must win paris to qualify, Del Potro can make it if he wins his next match over Isner and is guaranteed if he reaches the final. Looks like Del Potro and Isner will be a big match therefore.

Bautista Agut plays Cilic tonight though and a loss will take him out of the equation. Sock and Bautista Agut are in the bottom half of the draw.

Del Potro and Isner are first up tomorrow in the order of play so will see one more candidate fall at least there and with Cilic just winning the first set for B-A on a tie break we might see just Sock and Delpo or Isner standing come the evening play tomorrow.

-- Edited by JonH on Thursday 2nd of November 2017 11:05:03 PM

JonH · All-time great

So that makes it easy:

4 left in running for one place.

Carreno Busta currently sitting, probably quite nervously.

Del Potro and Isner face each other tomorrow. One will be out of the running, one still in the hunt. A Delpo win puts him ahead of Carreno Busta, C-B can pack his holiday suitcase and Delpo will sit in the box seat. If Isner wins, then he needs to go onto win the title to usurp C-B.

Jack Sock doesn't care about delpo and Isner He just needs to keep on winning and win the event to get through.

Good that the Race is alive until the weekend even if Isner and Sock are probably slightly left of field contenders. Delpo though would deserve it, he is back in the top 10 for certain next week regardless and would be the biggest name out of the 4 players in the running and biggest box office draw.

indiana · Tennis legend

Bah ( IMO ), Isner beat Del Potro in three.

So the 8th spot is down to 3. Carreno Busta remains in place for now, but his fellow countryman Nadal's withdrawal probably means more chance for either Isner ( now with a SF against (Q) Krajinovic ) or Sock ( plays his QF vs Verdasco tonight ) to claim the title each needs. Indeed they are the two highest ranked players left in the draw.

indiana · Tennis legend

I'm sure that the ATP finals people are not remotely concerned that Federer withdrew before Paris citing his back again and Nadal withdrew from his QF!

JonH · All-time great

Sock and Isner facing a shoot off for the last slot if they bothwin one more match. Who'd have thought that!

In a remarkable last 4 Julien Benneteau will be the home favourite and have the crowd behind him to stop them. Something tells me (without writing off krajinovic) that an Isner and Benneteau final is on the cards. But in this event Sock v krajinovic would not be a surprise!

-- Edited by JonH on Saturday 4th of November 2017 10:30:39 AM