Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic Down Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski To Secure Nitto ATP Finals SF Berth | ATP Tour

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic earned a statement win Wednesday at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where the Croatian duo defeated top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski 6-4, 7-6(3) to reach the semi-finals at the prestigious season finale for the second consecutive year.

There was one former Nitto ATP Finals champion on either side of the net in Wednesday’s clash. Koolhof and Mektic lifted the trophy together in London in 2020, but it was the 14-time tour-level title-winning team of Mektic and Pavic who marginally retained the upper hand throughout a high-quality 93-minute encounter.

Mektic and Pavic made a fast start at the Pala Alpitour, where they clinched the sole break of the first set in the opening game. The fourth seeds were both strong behind serve, with Pavic’s swinging lefty delivery proving particularly effective as the pair fired 10 aces and saved three of three break points. They clinched a crucial mini-break on the opening point of the second-set tie-break that proved enough to secure the win and move to 2-0 in Green Group.

Fourth seeds Mektic and Pavic arrived in Turin seeking to become ATP Tour champions for the sixth time this year. The duo won its fourth ATP Masters 1000 crown in May at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, where it also defeated Koolhof and Skupski in the quarter-finals on the Rome clay. The pair then lifted trophies in Geneva, at The Queen’s Club in London, in Eastbourne and in Astana.

Dutchman Koolhof and Briton Skupski will next take on Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek in their final Green Group match on Friday as they seek to join Mektic and Pavic in the semi-finals.