There have been some thrilling matches so far at the ATP Finals, held this year for the last time in London before the tournament moves to Turin, as well as some surprisingly one-sided contests. Now the round robin is at the business end, with just two semifinal spots left up for grabs and, as ever, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for both singles matches on the slate. But who will advance to the last four and who will see their season end in disappointment?<\/p>\n
Head-to-head: <\/strong>Thiem 2-2 Rublev<\/p>\n This match may be effectively a dead rubber, with Dominic Thiem assured of his place in the semifinals and Andrey Rublev already eliminated, but there is still reason to pay attention. Thiem, who has reinvented himself as a force to be reckoned with on hard courts<\/a> since joining forces with coach Nicolas Massu, has the chance to put out a real statement of intent to his competitors by advancing through the group stage unbeaten, having already gotten the better of Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas.<\/p>\n Rublev, meanwhile, looked out of his depth against Nadal in his opener, losing in straight-sets, and when he lost a one-sided first set against Tsitsipas in his second match, it appeared that his trip to the ATP Finals was to be a brief and disappointing one. But although he was ultimately beaten by the Greek, Rublev deserves credit for the manner in which he fought back and he was perhaps unlucky to lose, having held a match point.<\/p>\n He may also come into this match with confidence, having beaten Thiem in both of their previous meetings, including less than a month ago in fairly similar conditions at the Vienna Open. That said, if Thiem plays at the level he has so far this week, he should have enough to have the beating of the Russian, who for all his power remains fairly one-dimensional. However, in a match where he has nothing at stake, it would not be a surprise to see Thiem\u2019s intensity level drop. Rublev, whose pride has surely been wounded, is good enough to take advantage if it does.<\/p>\n Prediction: Rublev in 3
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