Alcaraz and Zverev Secure Victories at ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz secured a win against Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals in Turin, overcoming a chest complaint that had led him to shorten his practice session on Tuesday. The 21-year-old Spanish player triumphed with a score of 6-3 7-6 (10-8), notably saving two set points during the second set. Subsequently, German second seed Alexander Zverev achieved his second win in the John Newcombe Group, defeating Casper Ruud 7-6 (7-3) 6-3. Zverev’s qualification for the semi-finals will be assured if he defeats Alcaraz in the concluding group stage match scheduled for Friday. Alcaraz, the third seed, who wore a pink nasal strip to aid his breathing, secured the first set against Rublev in 37 minutes by winning four consecutive games, achieving a double break of serve. He then won the second set in a lengthy tie-break, accumulating 33 winners throughout the match, significantly more than the Russian’s 14. Alcaraz commented on his performance, stating, “I surprised myself the way I played from the baseline. I was really calm.” He added, “I just focused on my game and what I have to do and forgetting I’m not feeling well.” Following his win, Alcaraz wrote ‘Valencia’ on a TV monitor as a gesture of solidarity with his fellow countrymen affected by recent floods. The French Open and Wimbledon champion had appeared unwell during his initial match in Turin on Monday, which he lost to Norwegian Casper Ruud. However, despite applying a chest rub during intervals on Wednesday, his agility on court was noticeably improved. In the first set, Alcaraz recovered from a 40-15 deficit to break serve, establishing a 4-3 lead after Rublev mishit a simple forehand at deuce. The Russian subsequently forfeited a 30-0 lead in his following service game, allowing Alcaraz to clinch the set. Eighth seed Rublev, who had previously been defeated by German Alexander Zverev in his opening match, managed to hold his serve, leading to a tie-break in the second set. Alcaraz gained an initial advantage with an early break, but Rublev rallied, forcing Alcaraz to save two set points before ultimately securing the win. Rublev’s current record at the ATP Finals stands at six consecutive straight-set losses since his semi-final appearance in 2022. Alexander Zverev, a two-time winner of the season-ending tournament in 2018 and 2021, is pursuing his third ATP Finals title. He followed his victory over Rublev with another straight-set win, this time against Norwegian sixth seed Ruud. Despite Ruud missing only six of his first serves in the first set, Zverev controlled the tie-break, which occurred after the initial 12 games saw no break points. After an hour and 20 minutes of play, Zverev eventually achieved a break, taking a 5-3 lead in the second set, and then served out the game to love to claim the victory. Zverev commented, “I think it was a very good match actually from both of us. I’m happy to win today but it was very, very close.” Looking ahead to Thursday, American Taylor Fritz is scheduled to compete against Australian Alex de Minuar at 13:00 GMT in the final round of the Ilie Nastase Group matches. Additionally, world number one Jannik Sinner will advance to the semi-finals if he wins a set against Daniil Medvedev at 19:30, and a third consecutive win would secure him the top position in the group.