Zverev soars to the semi-finals with straight sets victory against Alcaraz

Alexander Zverev continued his winning streak in Turin as he faced Carlos Alcaraz in the final group stage match. The World No. 2, who is competing with Jannik Sinner for the most wins this season, defeated the Spaniard 7-6, 6-4 to emerge as the favorite from the John Newcombe Group for semi-finals qualification. Beyond the year-end event, the victory over Alcaraz marks Zverev’s eighth consecutive win this season. The experienced German needed one hour and 57 minutes to secure the win against Alcaraz, who had previously defeated him in the Roland Garros final earlier this year.

Carlos Alcaraz, who has visibly not been at his best in Turin this week, is still not entirely out of contention for the knockouts. The final group stage match between Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev will determine the last player in the semi-finals, as Zverev has already cemented his place at the top of his group. The win against the Spaniard guaranteed Alexander Zverev the top spot in the John Newcombe Group. The German player, who also put the stamp on the year-end World No.2 spot in the ATP Rankings with his latest victory, will face Taylor Fritz in the semi-final.

Alexander Zverev tops the group as Carlos Alcaraz faces elimination threat

Meanwhile, Alcaraz's hopes of advancing to the semi-finals are fairly diminished following the straight sets defeat against Sascha. For the Spaniard to progress, Andrey Rublev must defeat Casper Ruud in straight sets, while the percentage of games won would still determine Alcaraz's fate. Notably, Andrey Rublev is yet to win his first set in Turin with his straight sets defeat against Zverev and Alcaraz in the group fixtures. Despite his straight-sets triumph, Zverev could have won by a larger margin. His sharp returns on the fast Inalpi Arena courts created seven break points in the opening set, but none were converted.

Fairly noting, Zverev presented multiple chances for Alcaraz to step in the game as he created seven break points. However, the young Spaniard was unable to convert any of them. The seasoned German, aided with his precise ballstriking, overcame a gritty rally against Alcaraz to maintain his lead in the clash. Zverev confirmed his semi-finals spot as he claimed the first set by seamslessly tackling an erratic backhand from Alcaraz. With the group’s top spot still up for grabs, Zverev kept the momentum going in the second set, breaking Alcaraz’s serve after rallying from 40/0 in the opening game. Alcaraz mounted a spirited fightback and earned his first break points of the match at 2-4, 15/40, but Zverev stood firm, saving both chances before completing the victory.

Notably, the German now leads the ATP Tour with 69 match wins in 2024, extending his lead over the World No.1 Jannik Sinner. Zverev's brilliance this season put him in the league of Andy Murray with the most wins in the season after Murray's record-breaking 78 victories on the tour in 2016. Moreover, after beating Alcaraz in the group stage of the  ATP Finals for the second consecutive year, Zverev now holds a narrow 6-5 lead against the 21-year-old. Alcaraz needs to count on Rublev to script a wonder against Ruud in the last group stage match. However, chances favor Ruud to meet Sinner in the knockouts of the ATP Finals on November 16.