by 3.38pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 5:5
Now the German number one serves against the set defeat! Alcaraz attacks his opponent’s second serve and is rewarded with a point at 15:15. But then Zverev’s great serves arrive and the Spaniard has nothing left to say because the balls literally fly around his ears.
3.35pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 5:4
Zverev can’t keep his forehand return under control! He carelessly gives away two game balls and Alcaraz ends up taking the second as the German helps him win the match with another forehand error. There was so much more to the burger!
3.32pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 4:4
Debut! Both players definitely haven’t reached their level yet, so there are plenty of options for the opponent.
3.31pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 4:4
Great point won to get to 40:30 from Zverev! Alcaraz tries a serve and volley, but the German reads well and beats the Spaniard from the defensive with a backhand cross!
3.29pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 4:4
But now the Spaniard has stabilized his serve again and can dominate the rallies after the return. With a stop at 15-0 he shows Zverev his limits.
3.27pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 4:4
How does the Rio Olympic champion deal with missed opportunities? With the new balls Zverev serves impeccably and gives his opponent no chance. After less than two minutes the score was 4:4.
3.25pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 4:3
Zverev at this moment lacks defensive courage: once again he carefully puts a forehand from the baseline towards the edge of the court. Then comes the first serve from the world number two and the German’s return ends up in the net again. Alcaraz rejects four break points and brings the score to 4:3!
3.24pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 3:3
But Alcaraz offers the German another break point because in the following exchange he sends a forehand cross into the net. The Spaniard then had to struggle again on the second serve, but still managed to force Zverev into a defensive error. Once again this is a debut.
3.21pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 3:3
But Zverev fails to convert a breakball because the Spaniard keeps the serve under control and the German has difficulty returning. Debut!
3.20pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 3:3
Suddenly the Spaniard’s serve breaks and he also commits a double fault. Shortly afterwards Zverev accelerates with the backhand forehand and scores 0:40 with the winner: now the German has three chances to re-break!
3.18pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 3:3
Alcaraz now seems to have fully arrived and feels at ease. The result: three breakballs at 0:40! Zverev immediately gives away his serve with a wild forehand cross and the score is now 3:3.
3.16pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 2:3
What a point won for Alcaraz! Zverev advances decisively and plays well on the volley, but the Spaniard moves beautifully and creates a lob from the racket in defense. A soulful stop from the 20-year-old follows and he has the break in sight – 0:30!
3.14pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 2:3
While Zverev is present from the start, Alcaraz still struggles and looks for his length in baseline shots. At least the serve doesn’t abandon him in this service game and so the Spaniard manages to close the match with Zverev’s return errors.
3.10pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 1:3
Can Zverev confirm the split? The Olympic champion hits very hard and Alcaraz never manages to resume the match in a controlled manner. The German made only one error in this service game before the Spaniard hit a forehand with just the frame and thus sealed the 3-1 for Zverev.
3.06pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 1:2
Two break points for Zverev! Alcaraz will have to overcome the second serve in this important moment and will then be involved in a longer rally. The burger contrasts with lots of spin and good length. In the end it is the Spaniard who crosses with a forehand and gives Zverev the lead!
3.04pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 1:1
First difficult situation for Alcaraz: the Spaniard finds himself facing a score of 0:30 because Zverev goes all the way with his forehand and the 20-year-old wants to volley the ball into the opponent’s court. But for Alcaraz it was too good and the ball went wide.
3.02pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 1:1
Two first serves followed and Zverev managed to put pressure on his opponent from the start. With a backhand winner the German makes it 1:1.
3.01pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 1:0
Hamburger also initially served with confidence and after short exchanges was able to secure a 30-0 lead. But then comes the first double fault and Alcaraz comes close again.
2.58pm
C. Alcaraz – A. Zverev 1:0
The German fails to bring more than one point because Alcaraz serves well and Zverev’s last return is a little too long. The Spaniard thus effortlessly completed his first serve.
2.56pm
Let’s go!
Zverev decided to take a step back, but immediately gave away the first two points.
2.49pm
Walk on the pitch
Now the players arrive to the applause of the audience: after the short warm-up we can finally start!
2.39pm
Djokovic is honoured
Before this match, Novak Djokovic will be honored on Center Court as he will end the year as world number one. Alcaraz can no longer replace the Serbian after last night’s win against Holger Rune, so the veteran can let the crowd celebrate and accept the trophy.
2.27pm
The Red Group
In addition to Alcaraz and Zverev, the red group also includes Medvedev and Rublev, who will meet this evening and close the first day of the group stage. Due to the tournament mode, the result of the first match can be decisive. Let’s remember: only the top two teams in each group advance to the semi-finals. In a few minutes we’ll start again at the Pala Alpitour!
2.21pm
Who will win the race?
The two opponents met twice this year and the Spaniard was ahead in both duels: in Madrid, Alcaraz clearly won the Masters 6:1, 6:2 – but Zverev was still not at his old strength, at that point he found his way back and was therefore able to offer only little resistance to the young man. The match was already more balanced in the quarterfinals of the US Open, but Alcaraz prevailed over the German in three sets. Overall, the head-to-head is still even, as both players managed to win three games each.
2.14pm
Zverev is a two-time champion
Alexander Zverev returned to Turin and achieved his season goal! He achieved great results in 2022, but was notoriously slowed down by his foot injury. In January this year, the German began his comeback and improved his performance. Zverev reached the semi-finals of the French Open again and thus defended important points in the world rankings. A fairly early exit followed at Wimbledon, but things went even better for a few weeks at the US Open, where they reached the quarterfinals. Hamburger played many tournaments this year and managed to win point after point, so much so that he became number seven in the world in Turin. Zverev has good memories of the finals, because in 2018 and 2021 he raised the trophy at the end, putting himself a little ahead of his current opponent.
2.03pm
Alcaraz makes his debut in Turin
The young Spaniard also qualified for last year’s edition of the final, but had to withdraw due to injury and this year he will make his debut in this prestigious tournament. Carlos Alcaraz’s abilities are widely known: the 20-year-old is characterized by a lot of power, full commitment and a lot of fun in the game. The highlight of his season was certainly his success at Wimbledon, where he defeated his rival Djokovic in the final. But the current world number two is also plagued by injury problems, as Alcaraz has repeatedly injured himself and had to take breaks from the tour. After his early exit from the Paris Masters against Roman Safiullin, it remains to be seen how the Spaniard will behave in Italy.
1.56pm
Hello and welcome!
Hello and welcome to the start of the Red Group at this year’s ATP Finals in Turin! After the first two duels of the Green Group which took place yesterday, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will face each other today at 2.30pm and will open the race in their group.
