The first set changed in the 5th game. Trailing 1-3, Alcaraz failed to realize one of his three counter-break balls and then lost the game and, in the process, the set (1-6 ) in 35 minutes.
The winner of Roland-Garros and Wimbledon this year found his serve and everything became easier for him at the start of the next round. While he had missed his five break points in the first set, he converted the first in the second set and confirmed the break (5-2).
It was then that doubt returned to the Spaniard. Ruud began to find solutions and align points, so much so that the scoreboard soon indicated 5-5 and even 6-5 after a fourth consecutive game and another break from the Norwegian. Ruud added a fifth on his put in play concluded with an ace.
Ruud reached the final four of the “Masters” tournament during his two previous participations in 2021 and 2022. That year, he even played in the final, lost, against Novak Djokovic. The Serb, record holder for victories (7), is the main absentee this year.
Youth in power: Coco Gauff wins the WTA Finals at just 20 years old, a first since Maria Sharapova’s feat in 2004
“Carlitos” is only playing his second Masters. He had to withdraw from the 2022 edition due to an abdominal injury and was beaten in the semi-finals by future winner Djokovic last year.
The other meeting of this initial day in the John Newcombe group will pit the world No.2, the German Alexander Zverev, against the Russian Andrey Rublev (ATP 8/N.8) from 8:30 p.m. Zverev leads 6-3 in his meetings against Rublev.
ATP Finals: in front of his audience, world No.1 Jannik Sinner begins with a victory against De Minaur
