Zverev finds no match against Rublev in Turin

Alexander Zverev secured his first victory in the ATP Finals 2024 by defeating Andrey Rublev with a score of 6-4 6-4. Following Casper Ruud’s victory, the German added the second triumph of his group to start the tournament on the right foot, a tournament he has already won twice, in 2018 and 2021. The Russian couldn’t topple a patient Sascha, who was clear on his tactics and demonstrated his dominance on these courts.

An interesting duel unfolded at these ATP Finals with the German and the Russian facing each other once again, for the tenth time to be precise. Exactly 1 year ago, Sascha defeated his friend in the group stage, something Rublev was aspiring to avenge. Andrey started the match demonstrating his plan to play aggressively and maximize his defense. Zverev felt the pressure in the initial games with fairly balanced exchanges.

However, the German was patient in the rallies allowing Rublev to get himself into trouble. After a couple of mistakes, the Russian got disorganized and ended up conceding his service, despite playing quite smartly. Sascha was alert and outsmarted his opponent, waiting for the right moment to take control of the scoreboard. Rublev now had to rely on his serve to keep the German at bay and have chances in the second set.

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Unlike Zverev, the Russian couldn’t wait for his opponent to make mistakes; he had to be the one to change things. Thus, he started the second set even more aggressively, motivated, and executing strong forehands. He maintained the necessary composure in his game to avoid losing control, placing balls in tight spots against Zverev’s persistence in long rallies. The Russian was leading smoothly game by game until errors started piling up in a crucial game.

Just like in the first set, Rublev once again lost his service in a somewhat erratic game. The German remained very focused, improving gradually on his serve and capitalizing on all the errors made by a rival whose confidence was dwindling. The two-time tournament winner got what he wanted, clinching a mentally challenging match to secure his first victory.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Zverev no encuentra rival ante Rublev en Turín