Daniil Medvedev advanced to the semi-finals of the ATP Finals on Wednesday after a 7-6, 6-4 victory over Alexander Zverev in Turin.
World No 3 Medvedev had to win in straight sets to claim a spot in the semi-finals in Turin with a match to spare and he saw off big-hitting German Zverev in a stodgy Red Group encounter.
He faces Carlos Alcaraz, a 7-5, 6-2 winner earlier in the day, in his final match and has the world No 2's last-four hopes in his hands.
"I hope that I feel well tomorrow and ready to fight because this tournament is tricky," said Medvedev.
"I'm into the semis but you want to keep the rhythm and against Carlos ... if we play at night you don't want to finish 7-6 in the third (set) at midnight. I just hope I can show my best tennis."
Medvedev has a long-running rivalry with Zverev, the pair not getting on off-court, and he has now prevailed in five of their six matches this season.
One of those wins came on his way to his surprise triumph at the clay-court Italian Open back in May, one of five titles won by Medvedev this year.
Zverev, a two-time winner at the season-ending tournament, would have qualified from the Red Group with a win of either sort following Alcaraz's earlier victory.
The 26-year-old hit more aces and winners than Medvedev but still ended up on the wrong side of the result after throwing away his service game to save the match.
Zverev can still make it through though and in his final match will face a dejected Rublev, who is yet to win a set at the Pala Alpitour.
World number two Alcaraz has had problems with his form and fitness over the past few months and was staring at possible early elimination after losing his first match with Zverev.
But he looked in much better condition on Wednesday and comfortably claimed his first-ever win in the season-ending tournament, snapping a three-match losing streak to boot.
On Thursday, Jannik Sinner will try to become the first Italian to reach the semi-finals when he takes on Holger Rune in the tight Green Group.
Victories over now-retired Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic might not be enough to secure a spot in the next round.
And Sinner faces Rune who only had to play three games against Tsitsipas who dropped out with injury.
Sinner meanwhile prevailed on Tuesday in a three-hour thriller with Djokovic, who plays Tsitsipas' replacement Hubert Hurkacz with his last-four spot also still in the balance.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Scotland's team:
15-Sean Maitland, 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Nick Grigg, 12-Sam Johnson, 11-Byron McGuigan, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ali Price, 8-Magnus Bradbury, 7-Hamish Watson, 6-Sam Skinner, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Ben Toolis, 3-Willem Nel, 2-Stuart McInally (captain), 1-Allan Dell
Replacements: 16-Fraser Brown, 17-Gordon Reid, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Jonny Gray, 20-Josh Strauss, 21-Greig Laidlaw, 22-Adam Hastings, 23-Chris Harris
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Burnley 0
Man City 3
Raheem Sterling 35', 49'
Ferran Torres 65'
