A dramatic day of ATP Finals action on Tuesday means that there will be plenty to play for in Group Jimmy Connors when all four players return to action this week.
Tuesday’s play started with Carlos Alcaraz battling past Taylor Fritz in three sets, before a thrilling evening match saw Lorenzo Musetti fight back from the brink to defeat Alex de Minaur.
Results so far mean that all four players will have plenty to play for come the final phase of round-robin matches at the ATP Finals on Thursday; here, we look at what all four men need to do to reach the semi-finals.
What does Alcaraz need?
With two wins from two, Alcaraz is in a commanding position in Group Jimmy Connors, though his qualification is not guaranteed.
The Spaniard would exit the tournament if he loses to Musetti in straight sets, and Fritz beats de Minaur by any scoreline.
However, any other scenario would see Alcaraz progress.
He needs just a set to guarantee progression, and he would still top the group if he lost in three sets, but Fritz also beat de Minaur in three sets.
A win for Alcaraz would guarantee top spot and see him face the runner-up from Group Bjorn Borg in the last four; a win would also seal the year-end No 1 ranking.
What does Musetti need?
After a dramatic win against de Minaur on Tuesday night, Musetti has a fighting chance of progression heading into the final phase of round-robin matches.
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But, to have any chance of progression, he must absolutely beat Alcaraz; a defeat would see him exit, regardless of sets won or the result in the previous match.
Musetti would be guaranteed progression if he beats the Spaniard in straight sets, and would top the group if de Minaur beat Fritz in the other encounter.
If Musetti were to win in three sets, he would then need de Minaur to beat Fritz to progress from the group.
What does Fritz need?
Despite defeat to Alcaraz on Tuesday, Fritz still has a relatively strong chance of progressing — thanks to the set he won against the Spaniard.
The American will be guaranteed progression if he were to beat de Minaur on Thursday.
Should he defeat the Australian, he would finish second if Alcaraz beats Musetti, and would top the group if he wins in straight sets and Musetti beats Alcaraz, or if he wins in three sets and Musetti in two sets.
Fritz could still progress if he tastes defeat de Minaur, though his hopes would be reliant on Alcaraz.
The only way he can progress in defeat to de Minaur is if he loses in three sets, and then Alcaraz beats Musetti.
A straight-sets defeat to de Minaur will see Fritz exit the tournament, regardless of other results.
What does de Minaur need?
With two defeats from two, de Minaur’s ATP Finals hopes are hanging by a thread.
However, after winning one set against Musetti, the seventh seed still has a slight chance of progression come Thursday.
To have any chance of reaching the semi-final, the Australian must beat Fritz in straight sets — a three-set win would not be enough.
Should de Minaur then win in straight sets, he would need Alcaraz to beat Musetti by any scoreline.
That would be enough for de Minaur to qualify in second place in the group.
Group Jimmy Connors qualifying scenarios
Qualifying permutations at the ATP Finals.
Order of play (Thursday, November 13 – local time)
n/b 14:00: (6) Taylor Fritz vs (7) Alex de Minaur
n/b 20:30: (1) Carlos Alcaraz vs (9) Lorenzo Musetti
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