Djokovic puts one foot in the ATP Finals semi-finals

With two wins in two matches played and a 2-0 score, Novak Djokovic is firmly at the top of the group. He only needs to win one set in the final match of Group A, against Tomas Berdych, to secure a place in the semi-finals regardless of the result of the remaining match.

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The 27-year-old Serbian led 15-3 in the head-to-head against Wawrinka before this encounter at the O2 Arena in London. So the audience was a bit surprised when the reigning ATP World Tour Finals champion, Djokovic, lost the break in the first game. However, the 2014 Australian Open champion from Switzerland played worse and worse, losing a total of five games on serve throughout the match. In the 65-minute match, Wawrinka only won 45% of his first serve points and 25% of his second serve points. Meanwhile, Djokovic showed himself to be stronger and more precise as he played. He controlled the game well with his excellent return of serve, precise hitting skills and reasonable court-wide play. He moved quickly all over the court, observed well, handled the ball wisely and was very active at the net.

“I was aggressive and hit the ball in all directions, forcing him to make a lot of unforced errors. Wawrinka was not at his best in this match, while I did very well everything I wanted to do,” Djokovic said after the overwhelming victory.

Djokovic won more easily than expected. Photo: Reuters.

The first set featured three breaks between the two players, and started with Wawrinka in the lead. Djokovic lost his first service game. He faced three break points at 30-40, 40-point, 40-point, and was forced to concede a 1-0 lead after a return that went wide. The Serb had a chance to break back in the second game at 40-30, but he failed to capitalize. But Djokovic then scored two consecutive breaks in impressive fashion, denying the Swiss a point despite serving in the fourth and sixth games.

Djokovic had another break chance in the eighth game to close out the first set. But he squandered a set point at 40-all. Wawrinka's efforts, however, were only enough to extend the set to the ninth game. Djokovic served and quickly led 40-0 before closing out the first set 6-3 after 44 minutes. In the first set, Djokovic served three aces and made no double faults, while Wawrinka had only one ace and three double faults. The Swiss also made far more unforced errors.

The second set saw Wawrinka perform miserably on both serve and on court. The set lasted only 20 minutes, with Djokovic winning all three games of his opponent's serve to end the set 6-0. In the first break of the second set, Wawrinka hit the ball too long at 30-40. The second break was a clean win for Djokovic. The Serbian took the third break to easily take a 5-0 lead, after an inaccurate shot from his opponent at 15-40. Djokovic served in the sixth game, had two match point opportunities, and he took the first one with a tricky crosscourt shot.

Wawrinka lacks the necessary stability. Photo: AP.

The result kept Djokovic unbeaten at the O2 Arena since 2011, extending his indoor winning streak to 29 matches. He has won the ATP World Tour Finals for the past two years.

Djokovic only needs to win one set in the final round of Group A to secure a semi-final spot. But a win against Tomas Berdych on Friday night will ensure he finishes the year as world number one, despite the efforts of Roger Federer, the world number two, who also needs only one set in the final round of Group B to secure a semi-final spot. On October 5, Novak Djokovic beat Tomas Berdych 6-0, 6-2 to win his fifth China Open title.

Also on the second day of Group A, Tomas Berdych revived his hopes of reaching the semi-finals after losing 0-2 to Wawrinka in the first round. The Czech player defeated Marin Cilic in a crucial match with both sides by a score of 6-3, 6-1. After two heavy defeats, Cilic – the new US Open champion – no longer has a chance to pass the group stage in his first appearance at the year-end tournament. The two semi-final tickets of Group A will now be a three-way battle between Djokovic, Wawrinka and Berdych.

Source VNE