Tsitsipas and Zverev, classified; Bautista fights for a square

Greek title defender Stefanos Tsitsipas and German Alexander Zverev, champion two years ago, have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, which will be held at the O2 in London from November 15 to 22, an event for which there are still two places left.

Tsitsipas and Zverev join Serbian Novak Djokovic, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, Austrian Dominic Thiem and Russian Daniil Medvedev for the 50th anniversary of the tournament that began in 1970.

Tsitsipas defeated Dominic Thiem in the 2019 final on his tournament debut, to become the youngest winner of this competition since 20-year-old Australian Lleyton Hewitt., in 2001. Two seasons ago, Zverev became the first German champion in the season finale since Boris Becker in 1995, reports the ATP.

Tsitsipas, 22, has a record of 28 wins and 10 losses this season, including his fifth ATP Tour title at the 13th Open de Provence in Marseille in February.. The Greek also finished runner-up in Dubai, that same month, and Hamburg before reaching his second semi-final of a Grand Slam championship, losing to Djokovic at Roland Garros.

Zverev, 23 Zverev made his ATP Finals debut in 2017 and beat Swiss Roger Federer and Djokovic en route to the trophy the following year. Zverev, with a 15-8 match record in 2020, reached his first final of a Grand Slam at last month's U.S. Open, losing to Thiem in a fifth-set tiebreaker, and lost to the same player in the semifinals of the Australian Open in January.

Argentina's Diego Schwartzman is next on the qualifying list, while four other contenders for the remaining two singles spots compete this week in ATP Tour events. World No. 10, Russian Andrey Rublev, and No. 12 in the ranking, Canadian Denis Shapovalov, participate in the St. Petersburg Open, where Medvedev aspires to retain his crown, and No. 13 in the ranking, Spanish Roberto Bautista Agut, plays in Cologne, along with Zverev and former world number one Andy Murray.

According to guidance from the UK Government, the end of the 2020 season has been planned behind closed doors due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. It is the last year that this event is held in London, and the next will take place in Turin (Italy) until 2025.