First Time Qualifiers Goffin, Dimitrov Battle in Championship
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DAY 8 - Sunday, November 19, 2017 ATP World Tour Info Tournament Info ATP PR & Marketing ATPWorldTour.com NittoATPFinals.com Martin Dagahs: [email protected] Twitter: @ATPWorldTour #NittoATPFinals Press Room: +44 207 129 8400 Facebook: @ATPWorldTour #NittoATPFinals FIRST TIME QUALIFIERS GOFFIN, DIMITROV BATTLE IN CHAMPIONSHIP • For the first time in Nitto ATP Finals history (since 1970) two players who qualified for the season finale for the first time will battle in the championship. No. 6 seed Grigor Dimitrov and No. 7 seed David Goffin meet in Sunday’s season finale. Dimitrov and Goffin are the first players from Bulgaria and Belgium to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. Prior to this year, the last player to qualify and reach the final in their tourney debut was David Ferrer in 2007 (l. to Federer). The last Nitto ATP Finals champion to hold the trophy in their first year as a qualifier was Alex Corretja (d. Moya) in 1998. • This is their sixth career meeting. Dimitrov comes in with a 4-1 FedEx ATP Head2Head record against Goffin and this is their second meeting in the tournament. On Wednesday, Dimitrov won 60 62 in the second round robin match to earn a semi-final spot. This is their fifth meeting this season. The Bulgarian won in the QFs at the Australian Open and on home soil in the Sofia final. Prior to London, the Belgian won in the Rotterdam QFs in February. • Dimitrov has not lost a match (4-0) en route to his biggest career final. The 26-year-old Bulgarian is 3-1 in finals this season, opening 2017 with a title in Brisbane and the following month winning on home soil in Sofia and his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati in August. He came into London a career-high No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. He is guaranteed to finish No. 3 regardless of the final outcome. Dimitrov is 7-6 lifetime in ATP World Tour finals. • Goffin, who was an alternate last year in London, rallied from a set down to beat six-time champion and No. 2 Roger Federer in the semi-finals. Goffin opened the tournament by beating World No. 1 Rafael Nadal on Monday. He is the sixth different player to beat the two superstars in the same tournament. He has won an ATP World Tour high 22 matches in decisive sets (22-5). The 26-year-old Belgian has won a career-high 57 matches this season and he is 23-7 since the beginning of the US Open with back-to-back titles last month in Shenzhen and Tokyo. His 57 wins this year is second only behind Nadal (67). He is 2-2 in ATP World Tour finals this season (4-6 in career). Goffin will move to a career-high No. 7 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and if he wins the title, he will finish No. 5. • WHAT’S AT STAKE: Champion will earn an additional $1,200,000 and 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points - IF Dimitrov wins the title, he will earn $2,549,000 and 1,500 Emirates ATP Rankings points for event - IF Goffin wins the title, he will earn $2,358,000 and 1,300 Emirates ATP Rankings points for event • In the doubles championship, top seeds and the year-end No. 1 team Lukasz Kubot of Poland and Marcelo Melo of Brazil meet No. 2 and reigning Nitto ATP Finals champions Henri Kontinen of Finland and Aussie John Peers, who own a 3-1 head-to-head record, winning the last two meetings in finals in Washington in August and ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai last month. This is the first No. 1-2 doubles final in the Nitto ATP Finals since 2008 when [2] Nestor/Zimonjic d. [1] Bryan-Bryan. Kubot and Melo are 6-3 in finals this season and they are trying to capture their first Nitto ATP Finals trophy. Melo was in the 2014 final (w/Dodig). Both players are trying to become the first player from their respective country to win the season finale. The Polish duo Fyrstenberg/Matkowski were finalists in 2011 and Wojtek Fibak was runner-up (w/Dutchman Tom Okker) in 1978-79. Kontinen/Peers are 4-0 in finals this season (9-1 lifetime) and they are looking to become the first team to win back-to- back season finale titles since Bob and Mike Bryan in 2003-04. Nitto ATP Finals Day 8 – Sunday, November 19, 2017 Page 2 of 8 www.ATPWorldTour.com • FIRST-TIME FINALISTS: The last player to qualify and win the Nitto ATP Finals in his first showing was Alex Corretja in 1998. Here are the first year qualifiers to reach the final/win the title (since 1970): 2017 - Grigor Dimitrov David Goffin 2007 - David Ferrer (l. to Federer) 2006 – James Blake (l. to Federer) 2001 – Sebastien Grosjean (l. to Hewitt) 1998 – Alex Corretja (d. Moya) 1991 – Jim Courier (l. to Sampras) 1985 – Boris Becker (l. to Lendl) 1978 – John McEnroe (d. Ashe) 1974 – Guillermo Vilas (d. Nastase) 1971 – Ilie Nastase (Smith 2nd in Round Robin) 1970 – Stan Smith (Laver 2nd in Round Robin) • LET’S MEET AGAIN: This is the 17th time in the history of the year-end ATP Finals, singles finalists have met twice in the same year-end championship. It first occurred in Houston in 1976. The full breakdown could be found on pg. 20 in the Nitto ATP Finals Tournament History Guide. In nine of the previous 16 times, the player who lost the round robin match came back to win in the final: Here’s a look back at the last five times (prior to this year) there’s been two meetings in the same tournament: Year Champion Round Robin Result Championship Result 2015 Novak Djokovic l. to Federer 75 62 d. Federer 63 64 2011 Roger Federer d. Tsonga 62 26 64 d. Tsonga 63 67 63 2008 Novak Djokovic d. Davydenko 76 06 75 d. Davydenko 61 75 2005 David Nalbandian l. to Federer 63 26 64 d. Federer 67 67 62 61 76 2004 Roger Federer d. Hewitt 63 64 d. Hewitt 63 62 • BEATING NADAL & FEDERER: Goffin is the sixth different player to beat superstars Nadal and Federer in the same tournament (fourth time in Nitto ATP Finals): Goffin # 2017 Nitto ATP Finals Djokovic + 2015 Nitto ATP Finals Djokovic + 2013 Nitto ATP Finals Djokovic + 2011 US Open Djokovic + 2011 ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells Murray + 2010 ATP Masters 1000 Toronto Davydenko + 2010 Doha Davydenko # + 2009 Nitto ATP Finals (last time a player beat Top 2 in year-end Finals) del Potro + 2009 US Open Nalbandian - + 2007 ATP Masters 1000 Paris Nalbandian + 2007 ATP Masters 1000 Madrid Djokovic + 2007 ATP Masters 1000 Montreal + Tournament Champion # Did not post win over Federer or Nadal in final Nitto ATP Finals Day 8 – Sunday, November 19, 2017 Page 3 of 8 www.ATPWorldTour.com NITTO ATP FINALS GROUP RESULTS 2017 SINGLES COMPETITION Sets Games GROUP wd PETE SAMPRAS - GOFFIN, David THIEM, Dominic THIEM, DIMITROV, Grigor Seeded positions NADAL, Rafael Round Robin Record CARRENO BUSTA, Pablo W - L Win % W - L Win % 1 NADAL, Rafael - wd L 0 - 1 1 - 2 33.33% 17 - 19 47.22% 4 THIEM, Dominic L L W 1 - 2 3 - 5 37.50% 35 - 43 44.87% 6 DIMITROV, Grigor W W W 3 - 0 6 - 1 85.71% 42 - 19 68.85% 7 GOFFIN, David W W L 2 - 1 4 - 3 57.14% 33 - 34 49.25% CARRENO BUSTA, Pablo L L 0 - 2 1 - 4 20.00% 15 - 27 35.71% DAILY RESULTS GROUP PETE SAMPRAS 13 NOV DIMITROV, GRIGOR (BUL) D. THIEM, DOMINIC (AUT) - 63 57 75 13 NOV GOFFIN, DAVID (BEL) D. NADAL, RAFAEL (ESP) - 76(5) 67(4) 64 15 NOV DIMITROV, GRIGOR (BUL) D. GOFFIN, DAVID (BEL) - 60 62 15 NOV THIEM, DOMINIC (AUT) D. CARRENO BUSTA, PABLO (ESP) - 63 36 64 17 NOV GOFFIN, DAVID (BEL) D. THIEM, DOMINIC (AUT) - 64 61 17 NOV DIMITROV, GRIGOR (BUL) D. CARRENO BUSTA, PABLO (ESP) - 61 61 Sets Games GROUP BORIS BECKER SOCK,Jack CILIC, Marin FEDERER, Roger Seeded positions ZVEREV, Alexander Round Robin Record W - L Win % W - L Win % 2 FEDERER, Roger W W W 3 - 0 6 - 2 75.00% 49 - 36 57.65% 3 ZVEREV, Alexander L W L 1 - 2 4 - 5 44.44% 43 - 45 48.86% 5 CILIC, Marin L L L 0 - 3 3 - 6 33.33% 41 - 51 44.57% 8 SOCK, Jack L W W 2 - 1 4 - 4 50.00% 41 - 42 49.40% DAILY RESULTS GROUP BORIS BECKER 12 NOV FEDERER, ROGER (SUI) D. SOCK, JACK (USA) - 64 76(4) 12 NOV ZVEREV, ALEXANDER (GER) D. CILIC, MARIN (CRO) - 64 36 64 14 NOV SOCK, JACK (USA) D. CILIC, MARIN (CRO) - 57 62 76(4) 14 NOV FEDERER, ROGER (SUI) D. ZVEREV, ALEXANDER (GER) - 76(6) 57 61 16 NOV FEDERER, ROGER (SUI) D. CILIC, MARIN (CRO) - 67(5) 64 61 16 NOV SOCK, JACK (USA) D. ZVEREV, ALEXANDER (GER) - 64 16 64 Nitto ATP Finals Day 8 – Sunday, November 19, 2017 Page 4 of 8 www.ATPWorldTour.com UPDATED TOP 10 EMIRATES ATP RANKINGS (going into Championship) Points + Add 500 points with Final win 1) Rafael Nadal 10,645 2) Roger Federer 9,605 3) Grigor Dimitrov 4,650 + 4) Alexander Zverev 4,610 5) Dominic Thiem 4,015 6) Marin Cilic 3,805 7) David Goffin 3,775 + 8) Jack Sock 3,165 9) Stan Wawrinka 3,150 10) Pablo Carreno Busta 2,615 • INFOSYS ATP SCORES & STATS COMPARISON: Here is a look at both players statistics in their four matches leading into the championship: Bold Leads tournament STATISTIC DIMITROV GOFFIN ACES 13 25 1st SERVE % 58% 61% 1st SERVE POINTS WON 77% 72% 2nd SERVE POINTS WON 54% 47% SERVICE GAMES WON 91% (40 of 44) 74% (34 of 46) .