Alexander Zverev began his quest for a third ATP Finals trophy with a remarkable victory. The second seed opened his account by beating Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4 in the season finale.
Zverev, who won the title in 2018 and 2021, held strong despite a fast start from Rublev to claim his Tour-leading 67th win of 2024 in just 72 minutes.
After improving to 7-3 in the pair’s ATP head-2-head series, the German will continue his hat-trick quest against Kasper Ruud, who earlier defeated third seed Carlos Alcarez in the John Newcombe Group.
“I thought it was a very solid match from my end. Against anybody here, you have to be at your best, you have to be mentally strong [and] strong to have a chance. I think I did that today, I thought I took my chances well and I’m obviously happy with the win,” Zverev said, as quoted by ATP.
According to ATP Stats, Rublev came out firing as he swept the first 13 points on his serve. However, a slip in the seventh game allowed Zverev to seize the first break of the match.
