ATP WTF: Davydenko Wins It All

No one saw it coming, not even Nikolay Davydenko himself. Davydenko won the biggest title of his career Sunday, as he bested US Open champ Juan Martin Del Potro at the final in London. He also beat French Open and Wimbledon double winner Roger Federer (semifinals) and Australian Open champ Rafael Nadal (round-robin) along the way.

Now if only the Grand Slams are played in three sets instead of five, Davydenko will surely be a contender.

ATP World Tour Finals Knock-out Stage All Set

After six days of round-robin play, the semifinal cast in London is set:

Group A Winner Roger Federer vs. Group B Runner-up Nikolay Davydenko
Group B Winner Robin Soderling vs. Group A Runner-up Juan Martin Del Potro

Both groups produced three player-ties, and it came down to percentages of games won in Group A (Andy Murray out), and of sets won in Group B (Novak Djokovic out).

The Spaniard in each group did not win a single match, as Rafa Nadal and Fernando Verdasco lost all three of their round-robin matches. They will have to redeem themselves in the Davis Cup finals coming up in December.

As a consolation, Nadal is assured of finishing the year at No. 2 as a result of Djokovic's elimination in the group stage.

London Update: Soderling In, Nadal Out

It has been a day of upsets in Group B action at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. Robin Soderling defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets, earning him a spot in the semis by virtue of not dropping a set in both of his match wins. Rafa Nadal lost to Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets as well, and has now been eliminated by virtue of not winning a single set in both of his losses.

Nadal could have clinched the Year-end No. 2 ranking if he won today. He has another chance on Friday when he meets Djokovic in his last round-robin match. Should Nadal lose that match, Djokovic will snatch the No. 2 ranking if he then qualifies for the semis and goes on to win the tournament.

It's Official: Federer is Year-End No. 1

Roger Federer beat Andy Murray in Group A action today coming back from one set down to clinch the Year-end No. 1 (a.k.a. ATP World Tour Championship). This is the fifth time Federer has ended the year at the top spot (tied with Jimmy Connors, and second only to Pete Sampras who was Year-end No. 1 for six years).

Congratulations, Roger!

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In the other Group A match, Juan Martin Del Potro bested Fernando Verdasco in three sets. Federer leads his group with 2 match wins, while Murray and Del Potro each have 1 match win. Verdasco has yet to win a match, although he still has a chance to qualify in the semis if he beats Murray in straight sets and Federer defeats Del Potro in two.

In tomorrow's Group B play, holder Novak Djokovic takes on Robin Soderling while Rafa Nadal squares up against Nikolay Davydenko.

Federer Watch: "Magic Number" Down to 1

Group B action at the ATP World Tour Finals saw Rafa Nadal lose to Robin Soderling in straights and holder Novak Djokovic prevail over Nikolay Davydenko in three sets. Nadal's loss means that Roger Federer is now one win (or one Nadal loss) away from clinching the Year-end No. 1.

Federer has four "chances" left to clinch the Year-end No. 1 in the round robin stage, with two of them coming off his racket. He gets his first chance tomorrow against Andy Murray when Group A action resumes. The other Group A match pits Juan Martin Del Potro against Fernando Verdasco, who both lost on Sunday.

ATP World Tour Finals Underway

Group A action commenced in London today, with local favourite Andy Murray beating Juan Martin Del Potro in 3 sets, and Roger Federer coming back to defeat Fernando Verdasco after dropping the first set.

With Federer's win today, his "magic number" to clinch the Year-end No. 1 is down to 2.

Group B play is scheduled tomorrow, with Rafael Nadal taking on Robin Soderling, and holder Novak Djokovic battling Nikolay Davydenko.

London Calling: Federer's "Magic Number" is 3

With a 945-point lead over #2 Rafa Nadal going into next week's ATP World Tour Finals, Roger Federer's "magic number" to clinch the ATP World Tour Championship (a.k.a. Year-end No. 1) is three, which means any combination of 3 Federer wins or Nadal losses.

The official ATP site has the detailed scenarios here:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2009/11/Finals-Battle-ATP-World-Tour-Champion.aspx

Djokovic Wins Paris Masters

Following his victory in Basel last week, World No. 3 Novak Djokovic won his first big title of '09, beating #2 Nadal in the semis and Frenchman Gael Monfils at the final in Bercy. Nole is 1 of 5 in 1000-level finals this season. He is poised to defend his Masters Cup title in London next week.

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Here are the "Big 5" Ranking Points breakdown. With a maximum of 1,500 points up for grabs at the ATP World Tour Finals in London, positions #2 through #5 can potentially move up one rank. Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro is assured of finishing the year at a career-high #5.
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=to2g086RjX-jks4L6twUojQ&output=html

Paris Masters Ranking Projections

The final Masters tournament of the season is underway in Paris, and the "Big 5" are back in action. Nadal saved five match points against countryman Almagro before earning a ticket to the third round, while Federer did not survive his second round match against Frenchman Benneteau.

Here are the ranking projections for Paris:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tUI516kyHuYf3z18YyzjUmQ&output=html

Federer will keep his #1 ranking even if he only earned 10 points by virtue of his loss, but #2 Nadal can close the gap if he wins Paris. In any event, this should make the ATP World Tour Finals the real "decider" to determine the year-end #1. Federer had a shot to clinch the year-end #1 ranking in Paris if he outperformed Nadal.

Djokovic Takes Basel, Murray Wins Valencia

Novak Djokovic foiled the four-peat attempt of hometown favorite Roger Federer at Basel to win his fourth title of the season, while Andy Murray wins a season-leading sixth title in Valencia. Both Djokovic and Murray earn 500 points for their efforts.

Here is the ranking points breakdown of the "Big 5" as of November 9:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tm8PsKwrfmx3msc3rJL_teg&output=html

Federer, Djokovic, Murray Back In Action

The top men's players are back in action this week, as #1 Federer and #3 Djokovic are playing in Basel, and #4 Murray is entered in Valencia.

Here are the "Big 5" ranking points breakdown:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=t7LfmNhQd5ZLdyTUvp4payA&output=html