Alexander Zverev defeated Carlos Alcaraz in sensational fashion to make it through to semi-finals of the ATP Finals in Turin on Friday.
The world No 2 secured his third victory in a row with a lung-busting performance to edge out Alcaraz 7-6 6-4 and finish top of the John Newcombe group.
With his victory, Zverev set up a semi-final match against fifth seed Taylor Fritz, while it left Alcaraz on the brink of elimination from the prestigious season finale.
There remains a scenario where the Spaniard could progress via percentage of games won, but only if Andrey Rublev defeats Casper Ruud in straight sets.
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Zverev described his thriller against Alcaraz as a ‘high-level match’, but didn’t believe he played his best tennis after booking his semi-final spot at the ATP Finals
Zverev was asked if he was playing the best tennis of his life during his on-court interview.
The German said: “You guys need to relax a little bit. It has been three fantastic matches, I’m happy to be 3-0 in the group for sure, but the semi-finals now are going to be very difficult – no matter who I am against.
“Taylor beat me the last few times we’ve played at the Slams, but I’m looking forward to that match.
“Carlos has beaten me too many times this year in important matches, so I’m happy I got this one. We have a pretty good rivalry, but a great friendship as well.
“It’s always great to share the court with him.”
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Alcaraz stood gobsmacked after losing the opening set to Zverev
Alcaraz again wore a pink nose strip after coming to Turin sick and having struggled with breathing issues in his opening loss to Ruud.
It was a measure of revenge for Zverev, who was beaten by Alcaraz in five sets in this year’s French Open final.
‘World-class performance from Zverev’
“That was a pretty world-class performance he just put in there,” said Sky Sports’ Laura Robson.
“The way he is playing is so impressive. He’s super aggressive, he knew what needed to be done, he had to take his game to Carlos – he couldn’t play passive tennis.
“He was able to do that in the very key moments in this match-up. He just trusted himself.”
Tale of the Tape
Zverev is catching the German greats
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