ATP Finals 2023: Thursday's Top Storylines to Watch After Wednesday's Results

Early Wednesday morning, Carlos Alcaraz eased all concerns about his play, committing zero unforced errors in a flawless first set against Rublev.

The talented Spaniard needed just 74 minutes to get past his opponent in a dominant 7-5, 6-2 effort.

Alcaraz won the last 12 points of the match to grab his first win in the ATP Finals and even the head-to-head with Rublev at 1-1 (1-0 in official matches).

The win brought Alcaraz's record to 1-1 in the Red Group and Rublev's to 0-2, who became self-destructive on court after opening the second set down a service break.

In the afternoon, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev faced off for the 18th career time.

Medvedev was able to get the better of his opponent in a tightly contested match, winning 7-6(7), 6-4.

With the win, Medvedev secured a spot in the semi-final round.

However, the final spot in the Red Group semi-final round is still up for grabs and will be decided upon on Friday..

As yesterday had lots on the line, so does today, with more semi-final round clinching opportunities.

From storylines to match previews, here is everything to be aware of and keep an eye on as the day unfolds.

Novak Djokovic vs. Hubert Hurkacz

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PALA ALPITOUR, TURIN, ITALY - 2023/11/14: Hubert Hurkacz of Poland plays a backhand during the exhibition singles match against Taylor Fritz of USA during day three of the Nitto ATP Finals. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Novak Djokovic saw his 19-match win streak come to a stunning halt at the hands of Jannik Sinner.

However, he's still in contention for the semi-final round.

A victory over Hubert Hurkacz in today's match or a Jannik Sinner win would keep the Serbian's quest alive of not only qualifying for the semi-final round but also continuing his chase of a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title.

While Djokovic has owned the head-to-head (6-0) against Hurkacz, it won't be as straight-forward as you might think.

Djokovic's 2023 Wimbledon fourth round victory over Hurkacz only went four sets, but it was closer than the score indicates.

The 26-year-old Pole blew three set point opportunities in the first-set tiebreaker and was just two points away from grabbing the second set in another tiebreaker.

Though Hurkacz is 2-6 this year against top-10 opponents, this has the makings of a three-set match.

Hurkacz has hit an ATP-leading 723 aces this year and is also one of the most consistent players on tour.

At the same time, his serve can also be his biggest problem.

While Hurkacz has been so dominant, winning 79.25% of his first serve points on hard-court surfaces, that number dwindles more than 28% to 51.02% when on second serve.

When you are facing a defensive mastermind like Djokovic, you really can't afford a statistical regression like that.

Djokovic's versatility should be more than enough to get past his opponent and move on to the semi-final qualification.

Jannik Sinner vs. Holger Rune

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PALA ALPITOUR, TORINO, ITALY - 2023/11/15: Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates during the Round Robin singles match between Novak Djokovic of Serbia and Jannik Sinner of Italy on Day three of the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals. Jannik Sinner wins 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 over Novak Djokovic. (Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images)

No one is flying higher on a tennis court than Jannik Sinner is right now.

As a winner of 15 of his last 16 matches, it was the 22-year-old's most recent win over Novak Djokovic that showed just how far he has come.

There were two particular things that, just a year prior, would have prevented Sinner from winning this match: rally discipline and physical health.

Just a year ago, these two factors were among the reasons limiting Sinner's overall progression and the Achilles heel in matches as physical as Monday's.

But the youngster showed discipline and patience in defeating Djokovic and is currently a threat to every single player on tour.

His next opponent should be aware of that.

Twenty-year-old Holger Rune was handed a blessing, only having to play three games in his most previous match before his opponent Stefanos Tsitsipas retired due to injury.

Whether Rune's rest plays a factor or not, this match provides both players with an opportunity to move into the semi-final round.

For Sinner, if he wins, he will become the winner of the Green Group and advance to the semi-final.

For Rune, winning only guarantees him a spot unless he wins in three sets and Djokovic wins in straight sets. At that point, it would be determined by the percentage of a won.

Rune has looked in good form in recent weeks, including two three-set matches against Djokovic and some encouraging wins. However, the likelihood of these scenarios depends on Rune winning, and that seems unlikely right now given Sinner's current momentum.