Match report
Zverev launches treble hunt in Turin with dominant win
The German beats Rublev in the John Newcombe group for a 67th victory to lead the Tour in 2024
November 11, 2024
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Alexander Zverev improves to 6-1 in opening round-robin matches at the Nitto ATP Finals.
By Jerome Coombe
Alexander Zverev kicked off his quest for a third Nitto ATP Finals trophy with a resounding victory on Monday night.
The second seed beat Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4 to open his account in the season finale in Turin. Zverev, the 2018 and 2021 champion, held on against Rublev’s fast start to secure his 67th Tour victory in 2024 in just 72 minutes.
“I thought it was a very solid match from me,” said Zverev, who improved to 15-9 at the Nitto ATP Finals. “Against anyone here, you have to play your best to have a chance, you have to be solid [and] mentally strong. I feel like I did it today, I feel like I used my chances pretty well and I’m obviously happy with the win.
Zverev became the first player to beat Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2019. The 2024 edition marks the first time since 2001 that none of these players have competed in the season finale.
“I think the focus was on Carlos [Alcaraz] a Jannik [Sinner] all year,” Zverev said when asked about the storyline. “They deserve it, they have won two Grand Slam tournaments each.
“It’s normal in sport, at some point everyone retires, new players arrive. We have a great group of guys leading with Jannik and Carlos. I think they had a better year, even though I am number 2 in the world. The reference is these two guys.
After improving to 7-3 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head Series, Zverev will continue his hunt for a hat-trick against Casper Ruud, who earlier toppled third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the John Newcombe bracket.
Facing the most prolific server in the Nitto ATP Finals field, it was Rublev who got off to a flying start inside the Inalpi Arena. The 27-year-old won his first 13 points on serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats, but a break in the seventh game handed Zverev the crucial first break of the match.
Zverev bided his time in the second set before surging in the ninth game to maintain his record of dominance in the event’s opening round-robin matches (6-1).
