Carlos Alcaraz beats Andrey Rublev and stays alive at ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz beats Andrey Rublev and stays alive at ATP Finals

The first singles match of Day 4 of the Nitto ATP Finals gets off to a rocket start, with the players taking full advantage of the speed of the Pala Alpitour surface (described by Alcaraz as the fastest court of the season) and not struggling to hold their own serves. Rublev starts on serve and in the first eight serves only once does the returning player win more than a point (in the very opening game). The match è very fast and after not even 25 minutes it comes to 4-4, where the first break point of the match arrives. È in favor of the world no°2, but it was well canceled by the Russian, who però shortly afterwards found himself in the same situation.

At 5-5 Alcaraz found the break, winning the last three games of the first set and moving ahead. As happened against Medvedev, after losing the first partial sprint Rublev pulls the plug, immediately giving up the serve at the start of the second fraction and repeatedly hitting his thigh. In addition to his right knee, which was cut and bleeding, his racket, which was miraculously intact despite being violently thrown to the ground, also suffered. On the Spaniard’s serve turns there is no play: Alcaraz loses just seven points with serve at his disposal, finds a new break in the seventh game and wins the last twelve points of the match. It ends 7-5 6-2 for the world No. 2, who will challenge Medvedev on the’last day. If Zverev beats the Russian this evening, Rublev will be eliminated.

Giovanni Pelazzo