Sinner digs deep to down Djokovic in ATP Finals cracker

TURIN :Novak Djokovic's winning streak was halted at 19 matches as home favourite Jannik Sinner was roared to a superb 7-5 6-7(5) 7-6(2) victory by a partisan ATP Finals crowd in Turin on Tuesday.

The earlier Green Group clash was a non-event as Stefanos Tsitsipas retired injured against Holger Rune, but the evening ticket holders were treated to a match of jaw-dropping quality.

After more than three hours of an absorbing toe-to-toe battle in which neither player took a backward step it was world number four Sinner who seized his chance in the deciding set tiebreak finally to crack Djokovic's resistance.

Sinner, 14 years Djokovic's junior, wrapped up his first career win against the 24-time Grand Slam champion with a smash - prompting deafening roars from a sell-out crowd who produced an electrifying atmosphere throughout.

He moves top of the group but is not yet guaranteed a semi-final spot ahead of his final round-robin match against Rune on Thursday when Djokovic, who will end the year as number one for a record-stretching eighth time, plays alternate Hubert Hurkacz.

Sinner, Djokovic and Rune could all still end up with two wins each in a group that is too close to call.

Sinner has enjoyed his best year on Tour and now has 59 match wins in 2023, but none would have given him more pleasure than taking down six-time ATP Finals champion Djokovic.

The Italian moved 2-0 ahead in the deciding tiebreak with a rocket of a forehand return and then gave himself daylight with another forehand winner to make it 3-0.

Once he moved 5-0 ahead not even Djokovic's powers of recovery could spare the Serb his first loss since defeat by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.

"It's a sort of process, I feel that I'm more confident in certain