ATP Finals 2018 Day 2: Djokovic outclasses Isner, Zverev squeaks past Cilic

After a brilliant performance from Anderson and a disappointing outing for Federer, it was time for the Guga Kuerten group to get underway on Day 2 of the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals.

First up, it was Alexander Zverev who took on Marin Cilic, and it was the German who irked out a win in straight sets, 7-6(5), 7-6(1) to win his sixth straight match over the Croat.

Cilic started the match with a tough hold in the very first game and then with the help of a double fault and two unforced errors from Zverev, pounced on the break opportunity and got off to a perfect 2-0 start.

Zverev was already getting a little frustrated after missing another couple of routine shots, giving Cilic two more break points. But somehow, with a little help from the Croat, he managed to hold on and get on the scoreboard.

Zverev was made to work hard and snatched both sets, despite not performing at his best

The unforced errors count kept on mounting for the German, especially on the forehand side and most of these came while trying to make some inroads on the Cilic serve, much to his frustration.

And just when it looked like the set was done, at 3-5 down, Zverev strung together a couple of good points while Cilic got tight at the crucial moments yet again and handed the advantage back to the German.

Soon after, the set headed towards the tiebreaker to separate the two.

In the breaker, both players traded a mini-break in the early exchanges but it was Zverev who took a commanding 6-3 lead with the help of a couple of costly forehand errors from the Croat.

Cilic, then, somehow managed to win both the points on Zverev’s serve, but the German came with a clean backhand pass on his 3rd set point and stole the set from Cilic even after playing well below-par.

In the early stages of the second set, Zverev looked pretty comfortable on his serve while Cilic struggled, failing to keep a high first serve percentage but somehow managed to hold on.

Then at 3-3, Zverev played a poor game with three unforced errors to hand the break to the Croat.

But once again, Cilic couldn’t capitalize on the advantage and gifted the advantage right back to the German.

Zverev then managed to manufacture a match point at 4-5, but Cilic came up with some big first serves to hold on and soon, this set also went to a tiebreak.

In the breaker, Zverev got the early mini-break with Cilic dumping yet another forehand into the net and soon raced to a 4-1 lead. Zverev didn’t give an inch post that and closed out the breaker, and the match, to squeak past Cilic to get his second ATP finals campaign off to the best possible start.

Cilic has lost so many matches this season, especially since Queen’s, where he has just failed to put away his opponents while being up on the scoreboard and this match was just another example of it.

Novak Djokovic

In the evening it was the newly crowned World No. 1 Novak Djokovic who took on the big-serving American John Isner, and it was the Serb who put on an absolute return spectacle and simply bossed the American in a 6-4, 6-3 win.

Djokovic looked dialled in form the very first point, returning incredibly well and with that, he created break points in first two games on the Isner serve.

But Isner saved both those break points with some of those typical, big cannons.

Djokovic, though, just kept on returning impeccably and created two more break opportunities, and this time he was not to be denied as he grabbed the break with a blockbuster forehand return winner on the stretch.

Not just return, he was also almost untouchable on his own delivery and served out the first set, 6-4, with no trouble whatsoever.

In the second set, Isner upped his level and was banging those serves with a first serve percentage of 93 in the early stages.

But at 3-3, Djokovic played an incredible return game with some exquisite returns and defence and managed to break the American’s serve with the help of a netted forehand.

And once again, the world no. 1 was simply flawless on his own deal, winning 21 consecutive points on his serve at one point and closed out the match with another break, hitting one his trademark cross-court backhand pass on the stretch, to seal the deal.

It was an absolute masterclass from the Serb and he showed no signs whatsoever of the few physical issues he had in Paris.

He will be awfully tough to beat this week if he plays like this.