Sinner edges Djokovic; Tsitsipas retires from Finals
Jannik Sinner edged towards becoming the first ever Italian to reach the last four of the ATP Finals on Tuesday after a thrilling 7-5, 6-7 [5/7], 7-6 [7/2] win over Novak Djokovic. A superb performance in front of enthusiastic home support in Turin gave the world number four Sinner his first win in four attempts over Djokovic, who is bidding to win for a record seventh time at the year-ending tournament. "It means a lot to me," said Sinner on court. "When you win against the world number one who has won 24 Grand Slams it's obviously in the top-top." Fans made an almighty din for Sinner, chanting his name to the rafters once he claimed victory in an exciting, three-hour contest which ran way past midnight at the Pala Alpitour. "In these kinds of matches very few opportunities will be presented and if you don't use them then the other player will," said Djokovic. Both players' fate will be decided in the final round of group matches, with Djokovic facing Hubert Hurkacz who has stepped in for Stefanos Tsitsipas after the Greek pulled out of the tournament with a back injury against Sinner's next opponent Holger Rune. Tsitsipas was trailing the opening set of his match with Finals debutant Rune 2-1 when he was forced to quit, handing his opponent his first ever win in the tournament. The sixth seed was loudly booed by the crowd who saw barely a quarter of an hour of singles play in the afternoon session, fans angered by his decision to go ahead and play despite persistent rumours of injury. "I'm gutted that I wasn't able to finish the match," Tsitsipas said. The ATP has come under fire from players and coaches for scheduling which often leads to late-night matches and short recovery times during tournaments. (AFP)