Djokovic, out to reclaim No. 1 rank, wins first match at ATP finals

Djokovic, out to reclaim No. 1 rank, wins first match at ATP finals

The second-ranked player, who has a chance to reclaim the No. 1 ranking at the O2 Arena in London this coming weekend, rallied to beat Dominic Thiem 6-7 (10), 6-0, 6-2 on Sunday in his opening match at the season-ending ATP Finals.

Monfils, playing at the ATP Finals for the first time, hit two “tweeners” in the match, but it was Raonic who got the breaks — one in each half.

If either of the two wins the title next Sunday, that one will be assured of the top ranking — as long as Djokovic wins another round-robin match on the way to the final.

With a victory Sunday, Djokovic also can join Roger Federer as the only players to win the season-ending tournament six times.

Federer is not playing in London, sitting out the end of the season as he recovers from knee surgery.

Barbora Strycova and Karolina Pliskova won the decisive doubles match in the final against the host country’s Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic 7-5, 7-5.

The Bears won five matches in two days, reaching the final by topping UCLA 33-5 earlier Sunday in the semis.

Cal finished its fall schedule, played under the leaner Olympic code, with a 14-1 record.

The 23-year-old, primarily a shortstop and center fielder, hit .344 with 17 doubles and 10 homers in 59 games in 2015, the last of his six seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional.