LONDON: Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer prepared to face off for a place in the last four of the ATP Finals on Thursday after Matteo Berrettini made history with a consolation win in London.
The heavyweights, who have won the season-ending tournament 11 times between them, will meet for the 49th time in a repeat of this year’s Wimbledon final.
Djokovic, who holds a 26-22 advantage, has won their past five meetings, including their epic five-set battle in the final at Wimbledon in July, during which he saved two championship points.
The Serbian is bidding to equal Federer’s record of six ATP Finals titles and is also challenging Rafael Nadal for the year-end number one ranking.
The second seed, 32, will leapfrog Nadal to finish in the top spot if he wins the title at the O2 Arena and Nadal does not reach the final.
The Serbian, who can claim a record-equalling sixth year-end number one finish, is hungry to finish the year on top.
“One of the two biggest achievements that you can have as a professional competitive tennis player is winning a Grand Slam and being number one in the world at the end of the season,” he said before the tournament started.
Federer was asked earlier this week whether the Wimbledon defeat had left emotional or mental scars.
“We’ll find out, but I think it’s all flushed away from my side,” said the 38-year-old. “A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.”
He added: “Actually, it’s good for me to play him again, and maybe that all helps to get a chance to get him back or whatever it is, but at the end of the day, I’m here for the World Tour Finals and not because of the Wimbledon finals.”
In Thursday’s early match in Group Bjorn Borg, which was a dead rubber, eighth seed Berrettini beat Austria’s Dominic Thiem 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.
In doing so, the 23-year-old became the first Italian to win a match at the season-ending championships.
Berrettini finished with a 1-2 record this week. Thiem had already qualified for the semifinals after his win on Tuesday against Djokovic.
Berrettini arrived in London at a career-high number eight in the ATP rankings after starting the season outside of the top 50.
“I always had great fights against (Thiem),” said the Italian. “I was able to stay mentally focused, especially in the first set.
“I played a great tie-break, so I’m very happy with my performance.”
Fifth-seed Thiem did not hit the heights he reached during his three-set win against Djokovic, notching just 12 winners compared with 50 against the Serbian.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has already qualified for the semifinals from Group Andre Agassi, leaving Nadal, defending champion Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev to scrap it out for the other spot on Friday.
Djokovic, Federer set for ATP Finals showdown after Berrettini win
Djokovic, Federer set for ATP Finals showdown after Berrettini win
Lowry and Elvira share halfway lead at Dubai Invitational
- Irishman Lowry began the day 3 shots behind Grand Slam champion Rory McIlroy before finishing with 68
DUBAI: Shane Lowry and Nacho Elvira both produced brilliant rounds of 68 in windy conditions to earn a two-shot lead at the 2026 Dubai Invitational.
The Irishman began the day three shots behind good friend and Grand Slam champion Rory McIlroy, but some stunning iron play and clutch putting saw him overhaul his playing partner.
Lowry is aiming to secure his first DP World Tour title since winning the 2022 BMW PGA Championship and he showcased his quality with five birdies and two bogeys.
Spaniard Elvira surged into contention thanks to four birdies in his final six holes for a matching 68 — the best rounds of the day — to set the clubhouse target of five under.
Having been joined at the summit of the leaderboard earlier in the day, McIlroy regained his one-shot advantage when he birdied the third to reach six under.
That lead was briefly extended to two when Antoine Rozner’s early birdie burst was offset by a double bogey, but McIlroy dropped a shot at the sixth.
A skewed chip left a difficult par putt for McIlroy to save par at the ninth and when it slid by, he was in a two-way tie for the lead at four under.
In the group ahead, Lawrence carded back-to-back birdies at the fourth and fifth — the latter with a sumptuous hole-out from the bunker — to join that mark.
Lowry opened with birdie-birdie for the second day running and despite a bogey at the fifth, he picked up the shot at the very next hole. A bogey at the ninth saw him slip back one, but he responded immediately with a lovely birdie putt at the 10th to rejoin the lead.
None of the trio could jump ahead on their own as they reached the turn, which saw Armitage increase the leadership group to four.
The Englishman, who started on the back nine, mixed two birdies and two bogeys during his front nine and then picked up shots at the second and fourth to reach the summit.
However, by the time McIlroy and Lowry finished the 14th hole, the latter was in the sole lead.
Lawrence had bogeyed the same par-three hole, Armitage dropped a shot at the ninth — his last — and McIlroy found the water at the 14th as the trio slipped back to three under.
That left Lowry on his own at the top. He was briefly joined by Elvira and McIlroy when the latter rolled in a 46-foot putt at the 16th for birdie, but Lowry followed suit from 31 feet to maintain his one-shot lead at five under.
McIlroy found the water for the fourth time at the 17th as he finished with back-to-back bogeys to sit three behind the joint leaders.
“Very happy (with the round),” said Lowry. “It was hard. It was tricky. You know, like that putt on the last hole, you don’t hole a lot of putts like that, and I did well. I did a good job. A couple sloppy mistakes on the front nine, but I was playing good and giving myself chances.
“I just had a great day out there. I really enjoyed it. I had a great group. Two great amateurs, and playing golf in a good frame of mind makes it a little bit easier. That’s sort of a little lesson for me for the rest season. If I play golf like that for the rest season in that frame of mind, I’ll be pretty good.”
Elvira had carded three bogeys and two birdies during his first 12 holes, but his birdie blitz to complete his second round propelled into the share of the lead with Lowry.
“I feel like off the tee I hit it really well,” said Elvira. “That’s something I struggled with in the past, and we made a couple changes, and I think it’s paying off. So, I’m very happy with the way I’m hitting it off the tee. It’s putting me in good positions to take advantage.”
Armitage and Spain’s David Puig were tied for third at three under, while McIlroy, Lawrence, Rozner and Spain’s Angel Ayora were one shot further back at two under.
American Ryggs Johnston recorded the first hole-in-one of 2026 when he aced the 218-yard par-three eighth with a six iron.
In the team competition, Jimmy Dunne, who was paired with Lowry, leads the way on 12 under, one stroke ahead of Greg Mondre and Dante Jimenez.
