Novak Djokovic was knocked off course in stunning fashion by Russian battering ram Daniil Medvedev at the ATP Finals as he lost 6-3 6-3 to leave his hopes of escaping from the group in peril.
The world No.1 had worked hard to establish a 3-2 lead in a mesmerising start to the Tokyo Group clash, but 24-year-old Medvedev then found another gear to seize control.
Pummelling high-velocity groundstrokes deep into the corners, Medvedev went on a near-perfect seven-game winning sequence to leave a bemused Djokovic puffing out his cheeks.
By the time five-time champion Djokovic managed to stop the rot the 33-year-old was a set and 3-1 in arrears.
Medvedev was relentless, however, and continued to boss the baseline rallies as he moved into a 5-2 lead.
Djokovic held serve to at least test Medvedev’s nerve but the Russian was ice cool as he closed out victory to make it two wins from two in the group and guarantee a semi-final berth.
Medvedev, who made only 12 unforced errors, lost all three of his group matches on his debut here in London last year, but now looks like a genuine title contender.
Djokovic, on the other hand, faces a straight shoot-out with Alexander Zverev as he tries to keep alive his hopes of progressing from the group and staying on course for a record-equalling sixth title at the tournament.
Zverev has kept his tournament hopes alive with a 6-3 4-6 6-3 victory over Diego Schwartzman.
Zverev, coming off what he had described as one of his worst matches of the season in his opening loss to Medvedev on Monday, led 3-1 in the second set before his Argentine opponent battled back with two breaks.
A visibly frustrated Zverev fired a ball into the empty stands after losing the second set but then recovered his poise and broke Schwartzman twice in the third set.
The Argentine, who struggled with unforced errors, finally capitulated with a forehand into the net that ended the match.
“I’m happy to give myself a chance to go to the semi-finals,” Zverev said afterwards.
“I need to win every match, otherwise I’m out, so I’ve got to go in with that mindset. I went to that mindset today, and I did my job.”
