The round robin phase of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals concludes inside the o2 Arena on Friday and at the end of the day we will know the identity of the semi-finalists in both the singles and the doubles draws.
The battle for both the world number one rankings will take another twist on Friday too so we’re set for a very complex but hopefully high quality day on and off the tennis court.
Afternoon Session
Doubles – Nicolas Mahut & Pierre-Hugues Herbert vs Henri Kontinen & John Peers
The opening match of the day is a dead rubber in terms of the tournament but not that for the French pairing if they are aiming to finish the year as the world number one pair. In order for them to do that they have to win here and hope that Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares lose their semi-final.
In terms of the tournament the French pair are already out and the Kontinen & Peers partnership are already through and are looking the business it has to be said. If it wasn’t a dead rubber I’d be taking Kontinen and Peers in a heartbeat but it is and I don’t want to bet on one of them so I’ll sit this one out.
Singles – Andy Murray vs Stan Wawrinka
Novak Djokovic laid down the gauntlet to Andy Murray on Thursday and it is the turn of the Brit to answer on Friday but in Stan Wawrinka he faces a significant test. Wawrinka was well touted going into the tournament only to offer a nothing performance in his opening match but he saw off Cilic in his second one and a win here could well be enough for him to qualify.
Andy Murray has won both of his matches. He didn’t look great in his first win over Cilic but he came through a corker of a match against Kei Nishikori on Wednesday but that 3h20 marathon has to have left a lasting impression on his body and that could make him vulnerable here.
I went into this tournament fancying Wawrinka to up his game on the big stage and he did on Wednesday. If he has that level with him here he will lay it down to Murray and if the Scot is tired from Wednesday then Wawrinka will beat him.
Evening Session
Doubles – Marc Lopez & Feliciano Lopez vs Rajeev Ram & Raven Klaasen
There are no mathematical complications around this match. It is simply winner takes all. The winner goes into the semi-final and the loser will be done for the season so that should ensure we get a competitive match.
I’ve not been all that impressed with Ram and Klaasen this week but at the same time I’m in no rush to charge in on the Spanish duo at skinny odds on quotes so this is another match I’m going to leave alone although if forced I would take the Lopez’s.
Singles – Kei Nishikori vs Marin Cilic
These two have their fates pretty simple too. If Kei Nishikori wins he is through whereas win or lose Marin Cilic will be heading to the Davis Cup final after this match. I guess that would favour Nishikori but the physical effort he had to put in on Wednesday has to have left a lasting effect on him.
Cilic has won both their meetings this year although we shouldn’t read a huge amount into their Wimbledon battle because Nishikori clearly wasn’t fit but the Croatian did beat him in Basel which could be more significant. He also beat the Japanese player in the US Open final a couple of years ago so he’ll have a good memory of playing him. Just based on the record and the fact Nishikori has to be feeling tired I’ll go with Cilic in this one.
Tips
Back S.Wawrinka to beat A.Murray for a 3/10 stake at 4.00 with William Hill
Back him here:
WON – Back M.Cilic to beat K.Nishikori for a 3/10 stake at 2.50 with NetBet
Back him here:
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