Home/Tennis

via Reuters

via Reuters

The Nitto ATP Finals of 2023 kicked off in style on Sunday, November 12. Now, after 3 days of its commencement, the tournament has entered a phase of extreme uncertainty. Uncertainty about who will finish in the top 4 of the 53-year-old prestigious tournament. Numerous qualification scenarios are creeping in after the completion of the second round of the group stage in the tournament. Let’s see what the number 8 in men’s singles, Holger Rune has to say on the nail-biting turn of events in Turin.

The Piedmont capital is hosting the top 8 tennis players and doubles team in the season-ending championship for the third time in a row. Who will emerge victorious and end the year on a high note? Well, we will have to wait for that answer. But before that tighten your seatbelts for the Super Thursday.

Holger Rune looks excited ahead of his upcoming matches in Turin

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

The ATP Finals tournament has a unique format. Here, the players are separated into two groups of four and they play each other in 3 round robin matches. The top 2 qualify for the semifinals of the tournament. The Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer, and the Serbinator, Novak Djokovic have the record of holding the most number of titles(6) at the ATP Finals. Can Holger Rune manage to seal the deal in Turin? Well, everything can happen right now. Let’s find out the qualification scenarios for the top 4 spots in the tournament.

Holger Rune is placed in the Green Group along with Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner & Stefanos Tsitsipas. Now, after the withdrawal of Tsitsipas from the tournament due to an injury, Hubert Hurkacz will replace him in upcoming matches. The qualification scenarios irrespective of the scoreboard include several possibilities.

Rune tweeted, ‘What an exciting Thursday coming up, everything can happen at Nitto ATP Finals‘. If Djokovic defeats Hurkacz and Sinner defeats Rune then Sinner will finish at the top and Djokovic qualifies as second.

Again, if Hurkacz defeats the number 1 and Sinner defeats Rune then Sinner and Djokovic go through. But if Hurkacz defeats Djokovic and Rune defeats Sinner then the Dane will win the group and Djokovic qualifies as second. 

On the other hand, if Djokovic defeats Hurkacz in 2 sets Holger Rune defeats Jannik Sinner in 2 sets then Rune & Djokovic qualifies. But if the Serbian defeats the Polish in 2 sets. Then if the Danish beats the Italians in 3 sets, Hurkacz gets automatically eliminated. The order of remaining players will be decided by percentage of games won.

However, if Djokovic defeats Hurkacz in 3 sets and Rune snatches victory over Sinner in 2 sets then Rune and Sinner qualify. Similarly, if Djokovic defeats Hurkacz in 3 sets and Rune defeats Sinner in 3 sets, Rune wins the group and Sinner qualifies as second. Lots of permutations and combinations creeping in after Jannik Sinner flipped the script a few hours earlier.

Watch This Story: Serena Williams’ ‘Iconic’ All Pink Outfit Sends Jessica Pegula in a Frenzy as Unveiled in Her 2-Word Reaction

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

After tasting the first victory at Pala Alpitour, Rune looks to take on the mighty contender

Holger Rune faced Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in the round-robin match on Tuesday afternoon in Turin. But the match lasted for only 15 minutes. The injury in the first set forced the Greek to retire. Now, he will be facing the home favorite – Jannik Sinner in his last match of the group stage.

via Reuters

Jannik Sinner will enter the match with plenty of confidence after defeating the mighty Serbian. Can Rune spoil the party of the Italian in front of his home crowd? Well, even Rune has been in the middle of close encounters with Djokovic in the last few months. Surely he has gained a lot of confidence from those matches and with Boris Becker on his side. ‘Everything Can Happen‘ right?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

READ MORE: ‘We Are Here to Fight and Win’ – Holger Rune Displays Immense Maturity as He Reacts to Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Abrupt Withdrawal