ATP Finals: Djokovic beats Hurkacz to boosts semifinal hopes

Turin, Nov 16 (IANS) Six-time champion Novak Djokovic boosted his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals semifinals on Thursday after he recovered from a second-set slump to down alternate Hubert Hurkacz 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-1.

Hurkacz was competing as an alternate after the withdrawal of Stefanos Tsitsipas due to back injury.

Djokovic, who moves to 2-1 in Green Group, now awaits the outcome between Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner to learn if he’s advanced to the last four at the prestigious year-end event, reports ATP tour.

Aiming for a 12th semi-final berth in 16 ATP Finals appearances, Djokovic manoeuvred through a heavy-hitting, first-strike clash with Hurkacz, whom the Serbian now holds a 7-0 ATP Head-to-Head record against.

Both players fought for court positioning, hugging the baseline tight behind their serves throughout the two-hour, four-minute encounter.

The 36-year-old Serbian finished the match with 13 unforced errors, compared to Hurkacz's 41, including 23 from his forehand. Djokovic also was more dominant behind his second serve, winning 73 per cent of his second-serve points to his opponent's 32 per cent.

All three of Djokovic’s group-stage matches have gone three sets, meaning the defending champion has spent more than eight hours on court across three matches. He could make more history this week as he aims to surpass Roger Federer to stand alone with seven ATP Finals titles.

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