World No 1 Novak Djokovic kept alive his hopes of winning a record seventh ATP Finals title after beating Hubert Hurkacz 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 in Turin.
Djokovic needed the victory to remain in contention for the semi-finals after losing to Jannik Sinner in a marathon match last time out, but is still reliant on the Italian beating Holger Rune later on Thursday.
World No 4 Sinner is guaranteed at least second spot in the Green Group thanks to Hurkacz, who played his only match of the season-ending tournament as a replacement for the injured Stefanos Tsitsipas, securing the second set against Djokovic.
He becomes the first Italian in the competition's 54-year history to reach the last four and can afford to lose against Rune, which would put Djokovic out of contention in the process.
That would be a disappointing end to what has been an age-defying 2023 from the 36-year-old who won three Grand Slams and took his 1000 Masters crowns to 40, which was another record.
“My kids are arriving tonight, so I don’t think I’ll watch,” said Djokovic, who would surpass Roger Federer to stand alone with seven ATP Finals titles. “I did my job and I’m going to spend tonight with the family. Then tomorrow I can worry about whether I qualified or not.”
All three of the Serbian's group-stage matches have gone to three sets, meaning the defending champion has spent more than eight hours on court at Pala Alpitour.
Playing with nothing to lose, Poland's Hurkacz was a force to reckon with on serve – firing 24 aces in the match – but he ran out of steam in the final set as Djokovic converted break points for the first time in the contest.
He took control at the end of the first set when he rattled off nine points in a row to take a 6-0 lead in the tiebreak and then seal the set.
However, he threw away his serve to love in game five of the second set and two games later looked on in disbelief as Hurkacz rammed home four consecutive aces from 15-40 down to go to within one game of drawing level.
Hurkacz easily saw out the set, drawing warm applause from the home crowd, and with the third set almost irrelevant the Pole collapsed to a visibly annoyed Djokovic.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion now holds a 7-0 head-to-head record against Hurkacz as targets a 12th semi-final berth in 16 appearances at the Finals.
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
if you go
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
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Abrorbek Madiminbekov v Mehdi El Jamari
Super heavyweight 94 kg
Adnan Mohammad v Mohammed Ajaraam
Lightweight 60kg
Zakaria Eljamari v Faridoon Alik Zai
Light heavyweight 81.4kg
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Light heavyweight 81.4kg
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Breast cancer in men: the facts
1) Breast cancer is men is rare but can develop rapidly. It usually occurs in those over the ages of 60, but can occasionally affect younger men.
2) Symptoms can include a lump, discharge, swollen glands or a rash.
3) People with a history of cancer in the family can be more susceptible.
4) Treatments include surgery and chemotherapy but early diagnosis is the key.
5) Anyone concerned is urged to contact their doctor
