Novak Djokovic has won five consecutive semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals, and he is well on his way to making it six in a row on Saturday. The top seed leads Kevin Anderson 6-2, taking the opening set in 39 minutes.
Djokovic owns a 34-2 record since Wimbledon, a stretch during which he has won four titles and returned to the No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings for the first time since the week of 31 October 2016.
The Serbian pressured Anderson from the first game of the match, scrambling around the baseline to neutralise what might have been winning shots from the South African against a majority of players on the ATP World Tour. Djokovic broke when Anderson went for too much on a forehand down the line — perhaps pressured by the Serbian's defence — and launched his stroke long. The World No. 1 broke for a second time when Anderson missed another forehand, and Djokovic did not face break point in the opener.
Djokovic has won all seven sets he has played at The O2 this year, with only one of those sets going past 6-4. If the 72-time tour-level champion dismisses Anderson in straight sets, it will be the first time he reaches the championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals without dropping a set. He has advanced to the final without losing a match on four previous occasions (3-1).
Anderson won the pair’s first FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting a decade ago in Miami. But Djokovic now leads their series 7-1, and is a set away from winning his eighth consecutive match against the South African. This is a rematch of this year's Wimbledon final, where Djokovic triumphed in straight sets to claim his 13th of what is now 14 Grand Slam titles.
While fourth-seeded Anderson trails the World No. 1, he has already become the first African to advance to the last four at the season finale (since 1970). This is the 32-year-old’s first appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Did You Know?
Anderson and Djokovic played doubles together at the Rogers Cup, reaching the quarter-finals before falling against Nitto ATP Finals qualifiers Nikola Mektic and Alexander Peya.
from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2Tjcvrv
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