Beating Tsonga no guarantee of semi-final place for Murray
CALCULATORS will be at the ready when Britain’s Andy Murray faces Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga today at the 02 Arena in what could be a complex finish to the final group matches of the ATP World Tour Finals.
The round-robin set up of the group stages means that all four men in Group A technically stand a chance of progressing through to the semi-finals, with world No1 Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych also playing later today.
Complications arise if match wins alone produce no clear victor, in which case a comparison of head-to-head set and game percentage will determine the two progressing players. It’s a heavily debated system that means a win today for Murray does not necessarily guarantee him safely through. Murray starts the match favourite to beat Tsonga, having won six of their previous seven encounters, including the semi-final clash on the Scotsman’s path to this year’s Wimbledon final.
TODAY’S MATCHES
Singles
N Djokovic v T Berdych (1.45pm)
A Murray v JW Tsonga (7:45pm)
Doubles
Mrnyi/Nestor v Bhupathi/Bopanna (noon)
Lindstedt/Tecau v Marray/Nielsen (6pm)