Ubitennis looks how those battling for a place in the ATP Finals have faired on the tour so far this week.
Stan Wawrinka keeps his hopes alive to make a fifth appearance at the ATP Finals after getting past the Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas with an impressive performance winning 6-3, 6-4. The Swiss won 28 out of 31 points on his first serve (90%) and converted two break points of three chances. It looks like the three-time grand slam champion is finding his momentum these days and playing some of his best tennis despite losing to Andy Murray last week in Antwerp. Wawrinka is in 15th place in the ATP Race to London with 1,865 points after his victory on Wednesday.
Sasha Zverev suffered an early loss to Taylor Fritz in the opening round in Basel. An unexpected loss after an obvious change in his game after Laver Cup. Recently he beat Roger Federer in Shanghai in what was his first top 10 win of the season. After being ousted from Basel, it has hampered the chances of him qualifying for London. He’s now seventh in the race to London with 2,855 points.
It seems that all other players chasing London participation are not messing around. David Goffin, who seeks a third appearance at the O2 Arena, ousted the Croatian Marin Cilic in straight sets on Wednesday in a rocking performance. Serving 11 aces and winning 37 out of 49 points on first serve (88%). The Belgian converted all break points he had (3/3), hitting 24 winners to only 20 unforced errors committed. Goffin is 10th in the ATP Race to London with 2,370 points after Wednesday’s win. He is 225 points behind eighth-placed Matteo Berrettini.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut continued his quest after taking out last year’s Basel finalist Marius Copil. He cruised into the next round in two sets with a convincing performance that he has been missing these past couple of months. The Spaniard won 37 out of 46 points on his first serve (80%), only facing one break point which he saved to set a meeting with Frenchman Richard Gasquet in round two in Basel. Bautista Agut is ninth in the race to the ATP Finals with 2,485 points. Only 85 points behind the eighth-placed Berrettini, who defeated Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov in Vienna on Wednesday to fortify his eighth position to London race having 2570 points.
Still in Basel, Fabio Fognini had a good start against Alexei Popyrin winning in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. Fognini now is eleventh in the race to London with 2,280 points and 290 points behind countryman Berrettini.
In Vienna, the Frenchman Gaël Monfils refused to let his ATP Finals’ hopes go. Coming from one set down against Austrian Dennis Novak to win in three sets and continue pushing towards a second appearance in the ATP Finals. Monfils will face Jannik Sinner in a rematch contest in the next round after losing to him in Antwerp last week. He is twelfth in the race with 2,215 points.
Russian Karen Khachanov commenced his campaign in Vienna with a win over Hubert Hurkacz. Khachanov is sixteenth in the race to the O2 Arena with 1,785 points. On Wednesday he followed up on his win against Hurkacz by downing Marton Fucsovics, who retired in the third set.
Finally, Diego Schwartzman will take on Sam Querrey at the Vienna Open on Thursday. He is fifteenth in the race to London with 1,860 points and has to reach quarter-finals in Vienna to add more points.
