10 Things That Matter On Day 5 Of ATP Cup

Day 5 at the ATP Cup features 12 nations contesting their final group stage ties. The winners of Groups C and D will be decided, with Team Australia having already secured top spot in Group F to book its place at the Final Eight in Sydney.

Here are the 10 things that matter most ahead of Day 5 at the ATP Cup.

1) Bulgaria Leads The Way: Bulgaria heads into Day 5 in pole position to clinch Final Eight qualification after winning its opening two ties against Great Britain and Moldova. Both Belgium and Great Britain, which hold 1-1 records, can still finish as group winners.

2) Russia Holds Advantage: Russia enters its final group stage match as the only team with a 2-0 record in Group D. Marat Safin’s men will face Norway, with both nations able to finish as group winners. Italy and the United States will attempt to improve their group records when they meet in the night session.

[VISIT ATP CUP]

3) Second Place: At the end of the group stages, the two best second-placed finishers from across the groups will join the six group winners at the Final Eight in Sydney. The two second-place positions give teams the incentive to fight for every game, regardless of whether they are able to win their group.

4) Keeping Momentum: With Final Eight qualification confirmed, Australia will be keen to maintain its level when it faces Greece. The home nation is yet to lose a match at Pat Rafter Arena, beating Germany and Canada 3-0.

5) Germany v Canada: Germany and Canada will both be aiming to secure second place in Group F. Jan-Lennard Struff and Felix Auger-Aliassime open Day 5 in Brisbane, before Alexander Zverev and Denis Shapovalov meet in the No. 1 singles clash. Zverev leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-1, but Shapovalov triumphed in their most recent encounter at last year’s Rolex Paris Masters.

[FINAL EIGHT]

6) Greece v Australia: Australia’s Nick Kyrgios returns to action in the night session against Michail Pervolarakis of Greece, before Alex de Minaur faces Stefanos Tsitsipas for the fourth time. Tsitsipas enters the match with a 3-0 ATP Head2Head record, which includes a four-set victory in the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals championship match.

7) Russia v Norway: Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev enter Russia’s clash against Norway with a combined 4-0 record in ATP Cup singles matches. Khachanov opens the tie against Viktor Durasovic, before Medvedev meets Casper Ruud. Ruud is also unbeaten in ATP Cup singles clashes, overcoming Top 20 stars John Isner and Fabio Fognini in his opening two encounters.

8) Italy v United States: Italy and the United States will meet in the night session at RAC Arena. Following Taylor Fritz’s match against Stefano Travaglia, No. 1 stars John Isner and Fabio Fognini meet for the first time since 2016. Isner leads Fognini 2-0 in their ATP Head2Head series.

[WATCH LIVE 3]

9) Great Britain v Moldova: After bouncing back against Belgium, Great Britain opens the show at Ken Rosewall Arena against Moldova. Cameron Norrie will seek his second point of the competition when he faces Alexander Cozbinov, while Daniel Evans awaits Radu Albot in the No. 1 singles match. Evans defeated Albot in two of three ATP Head2Head meetings in 2019, but it was the Moldovan who claimed a final-set tie-break victory when the pair contested last year’s Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com final.

10) Belgium v Bulgaria: The two highest ranked players in Group C will meet in Sydney, as David Goffin and Grigor Dimitrov lead Belgium and Bulgaria into their final group stage tie. Dimitrov leads Goffin 8-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, which includes a three-set win in the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals championship match.