Daniil Medvedev secured a spot in the semi-finals by defeating Alexander Zverev from Germany, while Carlos Alcaraz from Spain bounced back at the ATP Finals by winning against a troubled Andrey Rublev.
Zverev has been crowned champion twice, in 2018 and 2021. However, he may not make it to the semi-finals and will likely regret his mistakes against Medvedev. In the first set tiebreak, he was ahead 4-1 but failed to capitalize on a volley. He also had a chance to win the set but his forehand shot hit the bottom of the net, allowing Medvedev to escape.
Medvedev, who was the champion in London in 2020, proceeded to claim the first set after Zverev missed another high backhand volley.
At the 4-4 mark in the second set, Zverev, who is currently ranked 7th in the world, had another opportunity. However, he hit a poorly executed backhand and missed the chance to break serve. Medvedev capitalized on this in the following game, breaking Zverev’s serve and ultimately winning the match. This brings Medvedev’s record against Zverev to 11 wins out of their 18 meetings.
Alcaraz comfortably secured a 7-5, 6-2 victory, giving him a chance to bounce back in the Red Group following his initial loss to Zverev.
The 20-year-old player must defeat Medvedev in their final group match on Friday, even though the Russian is already assured to advance from the group with a 7-6 (7), 6-4 victory against Zverev. Zverev’s last group match will be against Rublev.
There have been inquiries into the condition of Alcaraz’s performance following a decline since winning Wimbledon. However, he bounced back from a three-game losing streak with a poised showing, albeit against a struggling Russian opponent.
Rublev was able to hold on in the initial set, but he struggled when the score was tied at 5-5 and ended up losing his serve. Alcaraz then confidently secured the first set with a smooth hold.
Rublev’s situation worsened quickly as he lost his serve at the beginning of the second set. He expressed frustration by slamming his racket down after giving Alcaraz a break point. When he missed a shot, he resorted to repeatedly hitting his racket against his leg. The audience in Turin was shocked and a visibly upset Rublev had to clean blood off his knee during the break.
After that, Alcaraz gained full authority as Rublev appeared to be competing against both the Spaniard and himself. The match ended as expected in just over an hour.
Alcaraz expressed that the match was completely different and at a higher level for him. He acknowledged that this is the level he must perform at in order to have a shot at succeeding in this incredible tournament. This was his first victory at the tournament after being unable to participate in 2022 due to injury.
“I had a successful practice yesterday, which helped me find the level I needed to perform well today. I am satisfied with my performance.”
Source: theguardian.com
