ATP World Tour Finals 2019 Results: Rafael Nadal Eliminated, Zverev Advances

Rafael Nadal beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in three sets on Friday but crashed out of the Nitto ATP Finals in London. 

Defending champion Alexander Zverev beat Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, forcing Nadal's exit from the competition.

Zverev will now meet Dominic Thiem in Saturday's semi-finals, with Tsitsipas set to play Roger Federer.

Friday's Results

Rafael Nadal bt. Stefanos Tsitsipas: 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-5

Alexander Zverev bt. Daniil Medvedev: 6-4, 7-6 (4)

Saturday's Schedule

Federer vs.Tsitsipas, 2 p.m. GMT, 9 a.m. ET

Thiem vs. Zverev, 8 p.m. GMT, 3 p.m. ET

Friday Recap

Nadal dug deep to produce a battling display and beat Tsitsipas in a gruelling encounter at the O2, but it was the defeated man that advanced.

The Spaniard has been confirmed as the season-ending world No. 1, and the icon gave a world-class display to overcome the Greek.

However, it was Tsitsipas who claimed the opening set after a tie-break. Neither player dropped their serve over 12 games, and it was the 21-year-old who edged the shootout 7-4.

Nadal was clearly feeling the pressure, making five unforced errors in the tie-break, but he regained his composure in time to grind out the victory.

TPN/Getty Images

Tsitsipas continued to operate at a high level. However, Nadal's motivation forced his own game to move up through the gears.

The world No. 6 was unable to force Nadal into a break-point situation during the match, and this was his undoing in defeat.

Both men traded blows in the last two sets, but Nadal grabbed late breaks of serve to help him to a comeback victory.

The marathon match lasted two hours and 52 minutes, and Nadal proved he is still one of the best when facing adversity.

Nadal was presented with the year-end world No. 1 trophy after his win:

Zverev confirmed his place in the last four after a convincing display against Medvedev.

A victory for Medvedev would have seen Nadal advance to play Federer, but Zverev's win allowed Tsitsipas to progress from the group stage.

Zverev broke his opponent's serve in the opening game and held onto the advantage throughout the set.

Medvedev lost his opening two group games and was second-best once again as the champion controlled the tempo.

Zverev closed out the opener but had a tougher time crossing the finish line. Medvedev served 10 aces in the match and took the final set to a tie-break.

However, his serving deserted him at the vital moment in the tie-break, and a double fault helped Zverev advance in straight sets.