Ruud Triumphs Over Alcaraz in ATP Finals Opener; Zverev Also Victorious

Casper Ruud, who was the runner-up at the 2022 ATP Finals, commenced his ATP Finals campaign in Turin by securing a straight-set win against Carlos Alcaraz, who appeared to be struggling. The Norwegian, seeded sixth, achieved his 50th victory of the season with a 6-1 7-5 scoreline, marking only his third win in 12 encounters. Subsequently, Alexander Zverev, the German second seed and a two-time ATP Finals champion, overcame Russian Andrey Rublev with a score of 6-4 6-4. Alcaraz, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, delivered a performance below his usual standard, committing 34 unforced errors, and experienced his initial loss to Ruud across five matches played between them. Ruud commented, “It’s only one match but it’s definitely one of the best wins of the season for me,” and indicated that the Spanish third seed, Alcaraz, might have been contending with a cold. He added, “I feel very happy. I think we’ve all seen Carlos play better tennis than he did today but I took care of my chances.” Ruud continued, “I’ve not been oozing with confidence in the last weeks or months so it was a great win for me and hopefully I can build on it.” Ruud successfully defended two break points in the initial game, then achieved the first break of serve following several inaccurate shots from his adversary. Despite Alcaraz’s ongoing difficulty in hitting the court accurately, he had a chance to equalize in the subsequent game. However, at break point, his forehand deflected off the net cord and went out. Two additional opportunities arose, but Ruud resisted the threat, and his determination paid off when Alcaraz once more hit a forehand out of bounds, resulting in a double break. Ruud concluded the set by serving to love with an ace. This marked only the second set the 25-year-old had won against Alcaraz, who committed 18 unforced errors and landed under 50% of his first serves during the initial set. Nevertheless, the Spaniard regrouped for the second set, conceding only one point across his initial three service games before achieving his first break. He appeared to be progressing smoothly towards equalizing the match, but Ruud mounted a comeback, securing two break-back points with a lob to the baseline, ultimately requiring just one as Alcaraz hit a backhand into the net. With Alcaraz’s performance continuing to decline, a revitalized Ruud—who had been merely two points away from losing the set—secured another break. He then served for the victory, converting his third match point with an ace, thereby completing a sequence of five consecutive games. Alcaraz, aged 21, stated, “It sounds like an excuse and I don’t want to take anything away from what Casper did to win the match.” He further explained, “Before coming here, I was unwell at home. When I got to Turin, practice was going well; I could handle long rallies, competing and playing. And I hoped things would get better as the days went by.” He concluded, “I don’t know if it was because of the nerves of the first match, but I didn’t feel completely well. My stomach limited my game a lot and made me feel uncomfortable.” Alexander Zverev, who claimed the ATP Finals titles in 2018 and 2021, had not faced Rublev on court since the group stage of the previous year’s ATP Finals, where the German also secured a straight-sets victory. During the second match within the John Newcombe Group in Turin, the two players were closely matched. After six games of a closely contested opening set, the eighth seed, Rublev, had not lost a single point on his serve, while Zverev had conceded only two. However, Zverev achieved the crucial break in the subsequent game when Rublev hit a forehand too long while trailing 15-40. The second set was similarly balanced, but Zverev gained the lead in an identical fashion, forcing an error from the front of Rublev’s racquet on the first of his two break points. This put him ahead 5-4, and he then served out the match with an ace, securing his 67th victory of the season, a Tour-leading achievement. Zverev commented, “I thought it was a very solid match from my end.” He added, “Against anyone here, you have to play your best to have a chance. I felt like I used my chances quite well and I’m obviously happy with this win.” In the Ilie Nastase Group on Tuesday, Daniil Medvedev, Rublev’s compatriot, is scheduled to compete against Australian Alex de Minaur starting at 13:00 GMT. Local favorite Jannik Sinner, who was presented with his year-end world number one trophy at the commencement of Monday’s evening session, will play against American Taylor Fritz from 19:30.