What needs to happen for Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev or Taylor Fritz to qualify for knockout stage at ATP Finals

The 2024 ATP Finals in Turin have produced some high qualify tennis this week, and some participants may be saving their best for last as they vie for a spot in the knockout stage.

The elite event is divided into two groups, with the Ilie Nastase group consisting of World No.1 Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Alex De Minaur. Sinner has won both his group matches, but could still miss qualification for the semifinals based on the results of his opponents.

The big-hitting Russian fell to Taylor Fritz in their opening bout. However, Medvedev righted the ship with a convincing victory over De Minaur, whereas Fritz fell in straight sets to Sinner. With Sinner already sitting at two wins, the Italian still has a slim chance of missing out on the semifinals if he suffers a heavy loss to Medvedev in straight sets and De Minaur suffers the same fate at the hands of Fritz. Qualification would therefore depend on the percentage of games won, as Sinner, Medvedev and Fritz would all have two wins.

Medvedev's chances of qualification hinge on whether or not he defeats Sinner, and he would also need De Minaur to beat Fritz. Conversely, the American would need to defeat his speedy Australian opponent, while hoping Sinner either defeats Medvedev or the Russian beats Sinner in three sets.