Rafael Nadal

Women's top seed Ashleigh Barty won her first-round match at the 2021 Australian Open without dropping a single game during Tuesday's action at Melbourne Park.

Reigning champion Sofia Kenin, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Pliskova were the other notable winners in the women's bracket on Day 2 of the season's first major, while two-time tournament champion Victoria Azarenka was upset by American upstart Jessica Pegula.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal headlined the men's play by cruising to the second round with a straight-sets triumph over Laslo Dere. Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas were among the other contenders to advance in the bottom half of the draw.

             

Notable Results

Men's Bracket

(2) Rafael Nadal d. Laslo Dere; 6-3, 6-4, 6-1

(4) Daniil Medvedev d. Vasek Pospisil; 6-2, 6-2, 6-4

(5) Stefanos Tsitsipas d. Gilles Simon; 6-1, 6-2, 6-1

(7) Andrey Rublev d. Yannick Hanfmann; 6-3, 6-3, 6-4

(9) Matteo Berrettini d. Kevin Anderson; 7-6 (9), 7-5, 6-3

Radu Albot d. (12) Roberto Bautista Agut; 6-7 (1), 6-0, 6-4, 7-6 (5)

Alexei Popyrin d. (13) David Goffin; 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-3

(16) Fabio Fognini d. Pierre-Hugues Herbert; 6-4, 6-2, 6-3

(19) Karen Khachanov d. Aleksandar Vukic; 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4

(21) Alex de Minaur d. Tennys Sandgren; 7-5, 6-1, 6-1

(22) Borna Coric d. Guido Pella; 6-3, 7-6 (5), 7-5

(24) Casper Ruud d. Jordan Thompson; 6-3, 6-3, 2-1 (ret.)

Mikael Ymer d. (26) Hubert Hurkacz; 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3

(28) Filip Krajinovic d. Robin Haase; 7-6 (4), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

Cameron Norrie d. (30) Dan Evans; 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

(31) Lorenzo Sonego d. Sam Querrey; 7-5, 6-4, 6-4

                

Women's Bracket

(1) Ashleigh Barty d. Danka Kovinic; 6-0, 6-0

(4) Sofia Kenin d. Maddison Inglis; 7-5, 6-4

(5) Elina Svitolina d. Marie Bouzkova; 6-3, 7-6 (5)

(6) Karolína Pliskova d. Jasmine Paolini; 6-0, 6-2

(11) Belinda Bencic d. Lauren Davis; 6-3, 4-6, 6-1

Jessica Pegula d. (12) Victoria Azarenka; 7-5, 6-4

Kaja Juvan d. (13) Johanna Konta; 4-6, 2-0 (ret.)

Olga Danilovic d. (16) Petra Martic; 7-5, 3-6, 6-4

(18) Elise Mertens d. Leylah Annie Fernandez; 6-1, 6-3

Kristina Mladenovic d. (20) Maria Sakkari; 6-2, 0-6, 6-3

(21) Anett Kontaveit d. Aliaksandra Sasnovich; 7-5, 6-2

(22) Jennifer Brady d. Aliona Bolsova; 6-1, 6-3

(25) Karolina Muchova d. Jelena Ostapenko; 7-5, 6-2

(26) Yulia Putintseva d. Sloane Stephens; 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

(28) Donna Vekic d. Yafan Wang; 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

(29) Ekaterina Alexandrova d. Martina Trevisan; 6-3, 6-4

             

Barty has advanced to the latter stages of the Australian Open each of the past two years, reaching the quarterfinals in 2019 and the semifinals in 2020, and her performance Tuesday firmly establishes the Australia native as a top contender to win her home Slam this year.

The 2019 French Open winner was highly efficient, winning 89 percent of her service points and committing just five unforced errors compared to 28 for Kovinic.

She'll also benefit from crowd support in Melbourne, with the tournament allowing up to 30,000 fans on the grounds each day amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"The bonus particularly for us players in these next two weeks is that we've got crowds, we've got people to enjoy it with us, and that's a really, really special part of this week," Barty said after her win.

Meanwhile, Azarenka looked out of sorts for most of her loss to Pegula, racking up 25 unforced errors and seven double-faults.

The event's back-to-back winner in 2012 and 2013 said trying to prepare for the tournament while following quarantine guidelines upon her arrival to Australia didn't work for her.

"Was that the best preparation for me? No," Azarenka told reporters. "The biggest impact for me personally has been not being able to have fresh air. That really took a toll. I don't know how to prepare after two weeks in quarantine. I don't have a blueprint how to prepare. It's all about trying to figure it out and I didn't figure it out. Not this time."

Nadal also wasn't at peak performance in his opening match, finishing with more unforced errors (24) than winners (19) and winning just 46 percent of points on his second serve, but his strong return game came to the rescue as he secured six breaks to advance.

"Here I am to try my best as always. That's it. Let's go day by day. Today I was able to find a way to be through. That gives me the chance to have one more day tomorrow," Nadal said. "Of course, was not ideal preparation for me, but I am still alive, no? That's the main thing."

The 2021 Australian Open resumes Wednesday with the start of the second round. Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep and Dominic Thiem are among the high seeds in action.

Ashleigh Barty announced her return to Grand Slam tennis in emphatic fashion on Tuesday at the Australian Open. 

The top seed in the women's singles draw, who did not play at the U.S. Open and French Open, did not lose a game in the opening match of her home major. 

Barty's 12-game masterpiece in Melbourne was the most dominant first-round performance from any of the seeded women. 

Reigning champion Sofia Kenin struggled in the first set of her straight-set victory, while Elina Svitolina needed a second-set tiebreak to finish off her win. 

On the men's side, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev cruised into the second round with comfortable three-set triumphs. 

Matteo Berrettini was the only men's top-10 seed to be pushed to a tiebreak on Tuesday, but he emerged from that with two impressive sets to finish off Kevin Anderson. 

In total, 26 of the seeded men and 24 ranked women made it through the opening round of the season's first major. The first seeded matchups are expected in the third round. 

           

Top Men's Results

No. 2 Rafael Nadal def. Laslo Dere, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1

No. 4 Daniil Medvedev def. Vasek Pospisil, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4

No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Gilles Simon, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1

No. 7 Andrey Rublev def. Yannick Hanfmann, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4

No. 9 Matteo Berrettini def. Kevin Anderson, 7-6 (11-9), 7-5, 6-3

Radu Albot def. No. 12 Roberto Bautista Agut, 6-7 (1-7), 6-0, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5)

Alexei Popyrin def. No. 13 David Goffin, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6), 6-3

No. 16 Fabio Fognini def. Pierre-Hugues Herbert, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3

No. 19 Karen Khachanov def. Aleksandar Vukic, 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-2), 6-4

No. 21 Alex de Minaur def. Tennys Sandgren, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1

No. 22 Borna Coric def. Guido Pella, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5

No. 24 Casper Ruud def. Jordan Thompson, 6-3, 6-3, 2-1 (retired)

Mikael Ymer def. No. 26 Hubert Hurkacz, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3

No. 28 Filip Krajinovic def. Robin Haase, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2

No. 31 Lorenzo Sonego def. Sam Querrey, 7-5, 6-4, 6-4

Cameron Norrie def. No. 30 Dan Evans, 6-4, 4-6, 6-5, 7-5

        

Nadal only lost two more games than top seed Novak Djokovic did on Monday.

The No. 2 seed had a fairly easy matchup against Laslo Dere, as he had a 13 percent advantage in receiving points and took 83 percent of his first-serve points.

Some of the other high seeds passed their opening tests with flying colors against opponents who could have posed challenges to them. 

Medvedev allowed Vasek Pospisil to force a single break point in three sets. The fourth-seeded Russian took five break points off the Canadian and was dominant on both serves. He won 67 percent of his second-serve points compared to 36 percent from Pospisil.

Tsitsipas dominated throughout his three-set win over Gilles Simon. The No. 5 seed lost just four games and created an advantage on his opponent's serve. He won 47 percent of his receiving points. The Frenchman only took 20 percent of those points. 

Rublev controlled his first-round victory with 17 aces, the most of any of the four top seeds in action on Tuesday. 

While the five top-10 seeds left Tuesday unscathed, four seeded players fell. No. 12 Roberto Bautista Agut, No. 13 David Goffin, No. 26 Hubert Hurkacz and No. 30 Dan Evans were all beaten. 

The losses by Bautista Agut and Goffin potentially open up easier paths to the quarterfinals for Rublev and Medvedev.

Tsitsipas has the toughest road to the last eight since he is on a collision course with Berrettini for the fourth round. 

              

Top Women's Results

No. 1 Ashleigh Barty def. Danka Kovinic, 6-0, 6-0

No. 4 Sofia Kenin def. Maddison Inglis, 7-5, 6-4

No. 5 Elina Svitolina def. Marie Bouzkova, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)

No. 6 Karolina Pliskova def. Jasmine Paolini, 6-0, 6-2

No. 11 Belinda Bencic def. Lauren Davis, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1

Jessica Pegula def. No. 12 Victoria Azarenka, 7-5, 6-4

Kaja Juvan def. No. 13 Johanna Konta, 4-6, 2-0 (retired)

No. 14 Garbine Muguruza def. Margarita Gasparyan, 6-4, 6-0

Olga Danilovic def. No. 16 Petra Martic, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4

No. 18 Elise Mertens def. Leylah Fernandez, 6-3, 6-1

Kristina Mladenovic def. No. 20 Maria Sakkari, 6-2, 0-6, 6-3

No. 21 Anett Kontaveit def. Aliaksandra Sasnovich, 7-5, 6-2

No. 22 Jennifer Brady def. Aliona Bolsova, 6-1, 6-3

No. 25 Karolina Muchova def. Jelena Ostapenko, 7-5, 6-2

No. 26 Yulia Putintseva def. Sloane Stephens, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

No. 28 Donna Vekic def. Yafan Wang, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

No. 29 Ekaterina Alexandrova def. Martina Trevisan, 6-3, 6-4 

        

Barty backed up her top-seed status with a masterclass against Danka Kovinic.

The No. 1 seed won 16 of her 18 first-serve points, six of eight second-serve points and took 24 of 33 receiving points. 

Kovinic only put 52 percent of her first serves in play and failed to force a single break point versus the Australian. 

Barty's portion of the draw opened up more with the upset of No. 16 Petra Martic at the hands of Olga Danilovic, who won in her Grand Slam debut. 

Danilovic matched Martic's serving numbers, delivered five aces and took advantage of her break points. She won six of her 10 break points and saved eight break opportunities from the Croatian. 

Two other portions in the top half of the women's draw became more open as well on Tuesday through the loss by No. 12 Victoria Azarenka and the retirement of No. 13 Johanna Konta due to injury. 

The only part in the top half of the draw with its top two seeds left features Karolina Pliskova and Belinda Bencic. Barty, Kenin and Svitolina could all cruise into the quarterfinals if they play at a high level.

Garbine Muguruza finished off the first-round matches in the bottom bracket through an early afternoon straight-set victory.

The 14th-seeded Spaniard resides on the more difficult side of the women's draw that features Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep and Serena Williams, all of whom are back in action on Wednesday.

            

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from AusOpen.com.

Rafael Nadal opened his 2021 Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Laslo Djere in the first round Tuesday in Melbourne.  

In the weeks leading up to the tournament, the focus was on the 14-day quarantine period players had to fulfill before they were cleared to compete.

"I was not able to practice the right way the last week and a half," Nadal told reporters Sunday. "I'm still not having the best feeling possible in my back, but I am practicing again. I did a lot of things to recover. It's not serious, but the muscle is still tight, so it's difficult to play with freedom of movement."

The disruption to his training didn't cost Nadal in his first match of the season.

Building a 5-1 lead helped him take the opening set, but the gap between the two players wasn't all that wide. Nadal had five winners and 13 unforced errors to seven and 12, respectively, for Djere.

Laslo Djere out here keeping things interesting. 😏#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/sZ7ifsgqxe

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) February 9, 2021

The 2009 Australian Open champion was merely getting warmed up. He failed to capitalize on three break-point opportunities in the first game of the second set before breaking Djere's serve in the third game.

Djere occasionally flashed impressive power from the baseline, especially with his forehand. Whether going down the line or across the court, the 25-year-old left Nadal powerless to respond when he caught the ball flush.

Those moments were far too infrequent for Djere to seriously threaten the upset.

Things briefly got a bit dicey as Nadal looked to close out the second set. Serving at 5-4, he quickly fell behind 15-40 and needed to stave off three break-point chances before claiming a commanding two-set advantage.

That two sets to love lead fist pump 💪@RafaelNadal closes out the second set 6-4 against Laslo Djere.#AO2021 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/gSMhNE7EWC

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 9, 2021

Nadal didn't encounter that kind of trouble in the third set after once again using two service breaks to go ahead 5-1. Djere was reduced to throwing his hands up in exasperation after a series of incredible forehands from the 20-time Grand Slam winner eluded him.

*Chef's kiss* 🤌@RafaelNadal | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/7x5nCUKwsz

— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) February 9, 2021

Two statistics were somewhat telling.

According to the Australian Open's official site, Nadal won 58 of 94 short rallies and 16 of 25 long rallies. Djere wasn't putting the Spaniard away early in points with regularity, nor was he enjoying any more luck when points were extended.

This certainly wasn't Nadal at his best, a standard that shouldn't have been expected under the circumstances. The 34-year-old will need at least a match or two to get into a groove.

Picking up a relatively straightforward win over a game challenger was a good way for him to start his tournament.

         

What's Next?

Nadal will play Michael Mmoh or Viktor Troicki in the second round.

Rafael Nadal revealed Sunday that a nagging back injury is impacting him ahead of his first-round Australian Open match against Laslo Djere on Tuesday.

According to ESPN's D'Arcy Maine, Rafa had the following to say regarding the ailment: "It's true that for the last 15 days I have been suffering with the back. So here we are. I tried little bit today to serve again. Well, I'm doing everything what's possible to be ready for it. That's the only thing that I can say. Today, I am still hoping to keep improving and hope to be ready for it."

Despite the injury preventing him from practicing at times, Nadal said he has not considered withdrawing from the Aussie Open.

The Spaniard added:

"The whole positive feelings that I had one week and a half ago, two weeks and a half ago now, disappeared a little bit, of course, because I was not able to practice the right way the last week and a half. At the same time, I still am having not the best feeling possible on the back. But I am practicing again. I did a lot of things to recover. It's not serious, but the muscle is still tight, so is difficult to play with freedom of movements today.

"Let's hope [the] situation keeps improving. We are doing everything. My physio is here, the doctors here— everybody is helping me in all possible ways."

Nadal, who is the No. 2 seed in the Australian Open, is a 20-time Grand Slam champion, but only one of those titles came in the Aussie Open.

Rafa won the tournament back in 2009, and while he has reached four finals since then, he has been unable to add another Australian Open title to his resume.

Most recently, Nadal made it to the final in 2019, but he fell to Novak Djokovic in straight sets.

Nadal is not far removed from his latest Grand Slam title, though, as he won the French Open last year, marking his 13th career French Open victory.

As a result of the back injury, Nadal says he suffered during his first practice in Adelaide in preparation for the Australian Open. He did not play in last week's ATP Cup.

The 34-year-old may not be as prepared as many of the other players in the draw as a result, but he does have a fairly favorable path.

Rafa's first huge challenge may not come until the quarterfinals against either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Matteo Berrettini, followed by Daniil Medvedev in the semis and Djokovic in the final.

Nadal has a path to the finals, but if his back injury greatly hampers him on the court, he may be ripe for the picking for one of the young guns standing in his way.

The 2021 Australian Open will begin with five Grand Slam champions gracing the hard court inside Rod Laver Arena.

Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Dominic Thiem, Simona Halep and Novak Djokovic will kick off the two-week event with opening-round matches on Monday in Melbourne, Australia.

Because of the time difference between the United States and Australia (Melbourne is 16 hours ahead of ET), Osaka and Williams will start their title quests Sunday night in the States.

Djokovic will open the first title defense of the tournament, as he is scheduled to close Monday's slate on the main court.

Sofia Kenin, who also advanced to the 2020 French Open final, will defend a Grand Slam crown for the first time in her career. She starts play Tuesday along with Rafael Nadal and women's singles top seed Ashleigh Barty.

                  

Australian Open Schedule

ESPN and ESPN2 will have coverage throughout the tournament. 

Most of the early-round coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET and extend into the early hours, per ESPN's official press release on the event.

The women's singles final will air at 3:30 a.m. ET on February 19. The men's singles championship will start at the same time on February 20.

              

Preview

You couldn't ask for a better lineup of stars to lead off the season's first major.

Osaka and Williams won two of the past four Australian Open women's singles titles, Thiem lost to Djokovic in last year's men's singles final, Halep owns two Grand Slam titles and Djokovic has won in Australia on eight occasions.

Djokovic is the odds-on favorite to win the men's draw at +125 (bet $100 to win $125), per DraftKings Sportsbook.

The initial thought would lead you to believe Nadal is the second favorite, but that title belongs to fourth seed Daniil Medvedev, which means you can get the 20-time Grand Slam champion at great value to start the tournament.

Nadal has not won the Australian Open since 2009, but backing him to win could be worth it at long odds of +650. Thiem carries the same value as the Spaniard.

Osaka is the favorite to win the women's draw, but she carries much longer odds than Djokovic at +500. Barty is second on the odds list at +600.

Because of the large amount of previous Grand Slam champions in the women's field, Kenin is listed at +1700 despite being the reigning champion. Kenin and 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek (+2500) carry the best-value odds of any recent Grand Slam winners.

Swiatek should be one of the players to watch in Australia, as she will try to follow up her surprise victory at Roland-Garros as a seeded player with a target on her back for the first time.

The men's bracket is harder to break through, but keep an eye on Italian teenager Jannik Sinner, who advanced to the quarterfinals at the French Open. Sinner may not make a winning run in Australia like Swiatek did in France, but he could make an impact through a potential first-round upset against No. 11 Denis Shapovalov.

              

Information obtained from AusOpen.com.

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The first tennis Grand Slam of 2021 will take place three weeks later than usual. 

The Australian Open begins Monday after the participants had to go through a strict quarantine process once they arrived in the country. 

Novak Djokovic and Sofia Kenin will both be in Melbourne to defend the respective crowns won last February inside Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic is once again the top seed in the men's singles bracket, while Kenin is the No. 4 seed on the women's side. 

Ashleigh Barty, who is playing in her first major since last year's Australian Open, tops the women's seed list. Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka are ranked second and third, respectively.

The full men's and women's singles draw can be found on the tournament's official website. Play will begin on February 8 and conclude on February 21. 

       

Men's Singles

Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are set on a collision course for the final, as they were drawn on opposite ends of the bracket as the top two seeds. 

Reigning U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem is the No. 3 seed, and he was slotted into Djokovic's half of the draw. 

No. 17 Stanislas Wawrinka is the only other previous major champion in the top 32 seeds. He starts the tournament in Djokovic's quarter. 

Djokovic was drawn with Wawrinka, No. 14 Milos Raonic and No. 27 Taylor Fritz, who is the lone seeded American on the men's side, in the top of eight sections. 

Before the potential top-seeded showdowns take center stage, there are a few intriguing first-round matches, starting with an up-and-coming star facing a fringe top-10 player. 

Italian Jannik Sinner will face No. 11 Denis Shapovalov in the bottom part of Djokovic's half. Sinner advanced to the quarterfinals of the French Open in October. Shapovalov did not make it out of the first round in Melbourne last year.

Shapovalov was one of four seeded players to be eliminated in the opening round last year, and there could be more uncertainty with only a week or two of on-court action preceding the competition. 

            

Women's Singles

Ten of the top 15 seeds in the women's singles draw have won a Grand Slam tournament. 

The most-recent Grand Slam champion, Iga Swiatek, went from unseeded at the French Open to the No. 15 seed for the first major of 2021. 

Swiatek was drawn in the same quadrant as Halep, who took home a major title in both 2018 and 2019. 

Three of the four quadrants in the bottom half of the draw have two Grand Slam champions. The only section in that region to not have multiple title winners is the one featuring Serena Williams. 

Williams is searching for her first Grand Slam crown since the 2017 Australian Open. She has seven overall titles in Melbourne. 

Kenin and Williams are two of four seeded American women. Jennifer Brady, who made a semifinal run at the U.S. Open, could be viewed as a dark-horse candidate to win as the No. 22 seed. If chalk holds, Brady would have to get through Kenin and Johanna Konta to reach the quarterfinals. 

But the draw going as planned is unlikely since 11 seeded women were knocked out in the first two rounds in 2020.

        

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from AusOpen.com.

Group play drew to a close for half of the bracket in the singles tournament for the 2020 ATP Finals at O2 Arena in London on Thursday. 

Dominic Thiem already qualified for the semifinals, making his match with Andrey Rublev a dead rubber. Rublev dropped his first two matches of the event, ruling out any chance of advancing.

Rafael Nadal's encounter with defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas carried plenty of stakes, however. The winner would claim the second semifinal bid from Group London 2020.

           

Thursday's Draw

No. 7 Andrey Rublev def. No. 3 Dominic Thiem 6-2, 7-5

No. 2 Rafael Nadal def. No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 4-6, 6-2

Full draw and standings are available on the ATP Finals' official site.

          

Recap

Tsitsipas ran out of gas in the third set against Nadal, allowing the 20-time Grand Slam champion to secure passage to the semifinals.

Is this the year 🇪🇸 @RafaelNadal takes the title? 🏆

He moves into the semi-finals with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 win over Tsitsipas! 👏#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/x1V6k43uOE

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 19, 2020

02: RF
03: RF
04: RF
05: RF
06: RF RN
07: RF, RN
08: ND
09: RF
10: RF, RN, ND
11: RF
12: RF, ND
13: RF, RN, ND
14: RF, ND
15: RF, RN, ND
16: ND
17: RF
18: RF, ND
19: RF
20: RN

19 straight years of at least Nadal, Djokovic or Federer in the #NittoATPFinals last four! pic.twitter.com/EBrkNZIhvV

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 19, 2020

The first two sets couldn't have been much closer, with one service break in each frame accounting for who came out on top. The decisive set unfolded in far different fashion.

Tsitsipas opened and immediately dropped serve, the first of three straight games that ended in a service break. The 22-year-old struggled with his serve throughout the set. He missed with 55 percent of his first serves, which led him to go 3-of-11 on second-service points, per the ATP Finals' official site.

Nadal, on the other hand, was firing on all cylinders after Tsitsipas tied the match. This incredible backhand volley was an example of how everything was working for the Spaniard:

Something a lil bit special 😍@RafaelNadal #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/v1jnIb1Beu

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 19, 2020

Tsitsipas prolonged the set slightly by denying Nadal on the first match point. On his second opportunity, Nadal fired a backhand winner down the line.

Sixth sense 🙌

The moment @RafaelNadal reached the last four of the #NittoATPFinals for the sixth time! pic.twitter.com/6WNsk60bT5

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 19, 2020

An ATP Finals is one of the few achievements Nadal has yet to cross off the career checklist. He was runner-up in 2010 and 2013. Maybe 2020 is the year he lifts the trophy.

In the first set against Rublev, Thiem looked like somebody who had nothing to gain regardless of the outcome. He dropped his first two service games, which allowed Rublev to go ahead 5-1 en route to easily taking the set.

Thiem was refocused for the second set and earned a crucial break while trailing 3-4. He held serve in the next game to go up 5-4, but Rublev quickly leveled the set at five all.

The 11th game included 15 points and this lengthy rally.

RIP this tennis ball 😳

Enormous 25-shot rally between Rublev & Thiem!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/8OFuShUoys

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 19, 2020

Rublev eventually wore Thiem down and then maintained serve to end his ATP Finals on a high note.

No great surprise to see Andrey Rublev beat the already-qualified Dominic Thiem in straight sets to end his stint at the ATP Finals. Not a bad week for the Russian, who was desperately close to beating Stefanos Tsitsipas as well. Sure he'll be among the field again.

— George Bellshaw (@BellshawGeorge) November 19, 2020

"There are still so many things I can improve," Rublev said after the match, per the ATP Tour's official site. "That’s the main goal in the off-season. Now I’m really motivated to improve the main parts [of my game] before we start the new season."

The stakes are beginning to rise in the third day of the 2020 ATP Finals at London's O2 Arena.

Having earned wins in their opening matches, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem were looking to seal a place in the semifinals Tuesday.

Nadal needed one of two circumstances: a straight-set victory or a win and an Andrey Rublev win over Stefanos Tsitsipas. Thiem needed an upset of Nadal and Tsitsipas to knock off Rublev.

Survival is the focus for Tsitsipas and Rublev, who lost their openers. Dave Seminara of the ATP Tour's official site noted Kei Nishikora (2016) was the last player to advance after going 1-2 in the round-robin stage. David Nalbandian in 2006 was the last to move on after losing his first two matches.

Tuesday's second clash is in effect an ATP Finals eliminator.

             

Tuesday's Draw

No. 3 Dominic Thiem def. No. 2 Rafael Nadal 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4)

No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas def. No. 7 Andrey Rublev 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(6)

Full draw and standings are available on the ATP Finals' official site

             

Recap

For the second time in 2020, Thiem got the better of Nadal. Their Australian Open encounter featured three tiebreakers, and the margins in Thiem's win Tuesday were equally slim.

Neither player budged on serve in the first set. Thiem got the closest, pushing Nadal to deuce in the sixth game before the 20-time Grand Slam champion held.

Nadal looked to be in the driver's seat in the tiebreaker after jumping ahead 5-2. Thiem took the next three points to tie things up. Nadal still had two more opportunities to claim the set, with the 27-year-old Austrian battling back each time.

Up 8-7, Thiem unleashed a powerful cross-court forehand winner.

Brilliant set. Stunning set point 💥

@ThiemDomi closes out in style vs Nadal#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/tdvNjFDGVZ

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 17, 2020

The second set played out largely as the first did. Nadal went up a break to take a 4-3 lead, but Thiem responded in kind in the next game.

Up 5-4, Thiem had three match points with Nadal on serve. The Spaniard dug deep to stay alive.

THIS.

Just after saving THREE match points 🤯@RafaelNadal is not human... pic.twitter.com/VAZd7pLHaP

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 17, 2020

The 2020 U.S. Open champion wasn't to be denied in the end. He gained the upper hand in the second tiebreaker, and a backhand from Nadal sailed wide to bring the proceedings to a close.

Thiem work makes the dream work 🤩

@ThiemDomi wins a #NittoATPFinals blockbuster 7-6 7-6 vs Nadal to move to the top of Group London 2020! pic.twitter.com/PN2HPy0JnL

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 17, 2020

Thiem did what he needed to qualify for the semifinals, and Tsitsipas did the rest.

Welcome to the semi-finals, 🇦🇹 @ThiemDomi! 👋#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/2ppuYl8QiD

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 17, 2020

The defending champion made quick work of Rublev in the first set, but the 23-year-old Russian composed himself during the brief interlude between sets.

Having dropped serve twice in the opening frame Rublev won all but one of his 18 first-service points in the second stanza, per the ATP Finals' official site. Tsitsipas had two break-point chances in the seventh game but couldn't capitalize. Had he converted on either one, the match probably would've ended in straight sets.

Instead, Rublev held in the ninth game to go up 5-4 and swept the next game to make it one set apiece. He was again up to the challenge with the score deadlocked at one in the third set, fending off five break chances for Tsitsipas.

Rublev had two double faults over the course of the evening. The first came in the second set and the second arrived at the most inopportune time possible. Serving for the match, he missed the mark with his second serve to hand Tsitsipas a lifeline.

The 22-year-old didn't look a gift horse in the mouth and nabbed the next two points for the victory.

Defending champ stayin’ alive!@StefTsitsipas survives a rollercoaster with Rublev 6-1 4-6 7-6(6) to set-up a showdown on Thursday with Nadal for the second semi-final spot in Group London 2020#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/V0nSelaIbO

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 17, 2020

Rublev is left to rue his double fault and how that could be the mistake that seals his fate in the group stage.

Novak Djokovic is trying to win the ATP World Tour Finals for the first time since 2015, and he got off to a strong start Monday.

After Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem played well in their opening matches Sunday, Djokovic headlined the draw in Day 2 of the year-end tournament from London in a group also containing Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman.

Even in a round-robin format, the pressure is on, as only two from each group advance to the semifinals.

Here is the latest from Monday's action at the the O2 Arena.

                      

Monday Draw

No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. No. 8 Diego Schwartzman 6-3, 6-2

No. 4 Daniil Medvedev def. No. 5 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-4

Full draw and standings available at the event's official site.

              

Recap

Djokovic has already clinched the year-end No. 1 trophy for the sixth time and has won the ATP Finals five times, including four straight from 2012 to 2015, but he is always looking to add to his resume.

He put himself on the right path Monday with a straight-sets win over Schwartzman, who was making his debut at this event.

The first set featured some struggles from Djokovic, who was down a break early and made a few unforced errors. He still did enough to take it 6-3:

Djokovic takes the first set 6-3 over Schwartzman. Not a very convincing set from Novak - he was patient, hit his forehand cleanly, but often half a step behind on his shots and sometimes too soft shots. Still takes the set from a break down. #NittoATPFinals

— Saša Ozmo (@ozmo_sasa) November 16, 2020

Wasn't pretty but Novak Djokovic takes the first set 6-3 over Diego Schwartzman after 41 minutes.

— George Bellshaw (@BellshawGeorge) November 16, 2020

There were also some impressive winners along the way:

A very nice start 👏@DjokerNole leads Schwartzman 6-3 at the #NittoATPFinals

🎥: @TennisTV pic.twitter.com/ChiVHShJXV

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 16, 2020

Djokovic was in complete control in the second set, facing zero break opportunities while winning both break points against Schwartzman.

Make that a dozen 🙌@DjokerNole wins his 12th consecutive opening round robin match at the #NittoATPFinals by beating Schwartzman 6-3 6-2! pic.twitter.com/WMafO8C3D2

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 16, 2020

https://twitter.com/TennisPodcast/status/1328360561822879753

He was especially impressive attacking his opponents' second serve, winning 13 of 20 points after the Argentinian missed his first serve.

It was enough for Djokovic to grab an opening win, although every game is counted in the round-robin format.

Monday provided little in the way of surprises as Medvedev dispatched Zverev in straight sets.

The Russian was rolling so much that he was able to break out an underhand serve in the second set and still get the better of his opponent on the point.

Is this the first underarm serve that @TheO2 has seen? 🤔

🇷🇺 @DaniilMedwed delivers the Moment of the Day!@emirates | #FlyEmiratesFlyBetter pic.twitter.com/GcRrACdNL7

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 16, 2020

The two opened the match by exchanging service breaks in the first two games. From there, however, Medvedev took firm control. He broke Zverev's serve again to move ahead 4-2 and held in the next game to take a commanding 5-2 advantage.

The second frame was more competitive as neither player budged through six games. Zverev dropped serve in the seventh game to fall behind, and that was the opening Medvedev needed to seal the victory.

Zverev struggled on serve throughout the match. Allowing an opponent to have nine break-point opportunities is a recipe for disaster, and the 23-year-old German lost 15 of his 19 second-service points while committing seven double faults.

                

Tuesday Schedule

No. 2 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 3 Dominic Thiem

No. 6 Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. No. 7 Andrey Rublev

In his quest for his first ATP Finals title, Rafael Nadal faced a test Sunday in his opening match against Andrey Rublev on the opening night of the year-end tournament at the O2 Arena in London.

Nadal, second in the ATP rankings behind Novak Djokovic, swept the eighth-ranked Rublev in two sets (6-3, 6-4) in the first of three group matches ahead of the semifinals. He is now on a 70-match win streak when he wins the opening set. 

Ruthless from Rafa 🙌

Perfect start to the 2020 #NittoATPFinals for @RafaelNadal, who beats Rublev 6-3 6-4 in London. pic.twitter.com/bp7dskJ3Jr

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 15, 2020

When Rafa gets going, there's no stopping him 💪@RafaelNadal | @Infosys pic.twitter.com/M5UcEMLK9n

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 15, 2020

The Spaniard took the first set behind strong serving. He won 81 percent of first serves and 80 percent of second serves in the first set and had missed just one first serve through the opening five games. Rublev had just three of 12 first serves.

With a pair of break chances in the sixth game, Nadal secured the latter to move to 4-2 and prompted Rublev to throw his racket to the ground. He followed that up an angled, highlight-reel win on the return. 

Winners are not meant to be hit from here 😯@RafaelNadal #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/m6nGYi4nwf

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 15, 2020

On the first game of the second set, Rublev tried to battle back from a 15-40 deficit after missing a tough volley and a pair of faults. After erasing two break points, he sent a shot into the net and gave Nadal the advantage early. The Russian finally got on the board in the third game, when he broke away from 15-all with three straight aces to make it 2-1. 

After Rublev committed a pair of errors on his forehand to give Nadal the sixth game, he held on while he was in danger of being eliminated with some strong serving. However, he surrendered the second set to Nadal, who completed the sweep in just 77 minutes.

The Russian achieved his career-best rank with a 40-8 record this season, which included a tour-best five titles in Doha, Adelaide, Hamburg, St. Petersburg and Vienna. The 23-year-old, appearing in his first ATP Finals, has held his own when facing the sport's best, with a 3-3 record against top-10 players, including wins over Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who are also in Group London 2020 alongside him and Nadal. 

"Of course, I am feeling nervous," Rublev told Dave Seminara of ATPTour.com. "It is my first time. You are with all the best players here and of course, you feel nervous. This is a normal thing because we are all humans. ... This is the moment we are playing for and we are working for."

In their lone previous meeting, Nadal defeated Rublev in three sets at the 2017 U.S. Open.

"We can find excuses or reasons, but at the end of the day, the numbers are the numbers," Nadal said. "I think I played less indoors than on the other surfaces, without a doubt. ... The indoor surfaces have not been the ideal surfaces for my tennis game since the beginning of my career."

Nadal will continue through the group stage in his quest to improve his career history at the ATP Finals, where he has qualified for a record 16 straight seasons, with matches against Thiem and Tsitsipas. Thiem defeated Tsitsipas earlier Sunday in three sets in a rematch of the 2019 singles final. 

Revenge is sweet 😋

After last year’s final defeat, @ThiemDomi turns the tables on Tsitsipas - winning the opening Group London 2020 match 7-6 4-6 6-3!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/W0q9wzCwml

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 15, 2020

Revenge complete 💪

🇦🇹 @ThiemDomi defeats 2019 #NittoATPFinals champion Tsitsipas to get the perfect start in London! pic.twitter.com/pePL2RRmEY

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 15, 2020

Thiem, who is coming off the U.S. Open championship, is in his fifth consecutive appearance at the ATP finale. He defeated Tsitsipas 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3 in just more than two hours.

In a rematch of the 2019 final, Dominic Thiem scores revenge and defeats the defending champion.

🎥: @TennisTV | @ThiemDomi pic.twitter.com/sIyZTQ94fE

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) November 15, 2020

"I experienced in the past four years how important it is to have a good start in this tournament, to ideally win the first match. I am very happy that I did it," Thiem said after the match.

Nadal and Thiem will square off Tuesday.