Carlos Alcaraz battled through illness to secure a 6-3, 7-6 (10-8) victory over Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals in Turin, overcoming a chest issue that forced him to cut short his Tuesday practice session.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, despite his health setback, showed resilience by winning the first set in 37 minutes with a double break of serve. He claimed the second set in a gripping tie-break, finishing the match with 33 winners, far outpacing Rublev’s 14.
“I surprised myself the way I played from the baseline. I was really calm,” said Alcaraz. “I just focused on my game and what I have to do and forgetting I’m not feeling well.”
Alcaraz, wearing a pink nasal strip to assist with his breathing, extended his support for those affected by recent floods in Valencia by scribbling the name on a TV monitor after the match.
Alcaraz’s victory came after a tough loss to Casper Ruud in his opening match in Turin. Despite using a chest rub during breaks, Alcaraz’s performance was notably sharper as he recovered from a slow start. He broke Rublev’s serve at 4-3 in the first set and capitalized on a 30-0 advantage in the second, sealing the set after Rublev squandered two set points in the tie-break.
Rublev, who had lost his opening match to Alexander Zverev, has now lost six straight matches at the ATP Finals, all in straight sets, since his semi-final appearance in 2022.
Meanwhile, Zverev, the second seed, secured his second win of the tournament with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 result over Norway’s Ruud. The match was closely contested in the first set, with Ruud managing just six missed first serves but failing to secure a break. Zverev took control in the second set, breaking Ruud’s serve at 5-3 before serving out the match to love.
“I think it was a very good match actually from both of us,” Zverev remarked. “I’m happy to win today but it was very, very close.”
Zverev now looks ahead to a crucial match against Alcaraz in the final round of the group stage on Friday. A win will guarantee his spot in the semi-finals.
In other group stage action, American Taylor Fritz will take on Australian Alex de Minaur at 13:00 GMT, while world number one Jannik Sinner is set to meet Daniil Medvedev at 19:30. Sinner will advance to the semi-finals with a set victory against Medvedev, and will top his group with a third straight win.
