TURIN, Italy — Carlos Alcaraz showcased his impressive drop shot technique as he battled through some physical discomfort to secure a 6-3, 7-6 (8) victory over Andrey Rublev during the ATP Finals on Wednesday.
This win significantly improved Alcaraz’s chances of reaching the semifinals in this prestigious year-end tournament, following his earlier defeat to Casper Ruud in straight sets.
Alexander Zverev also demonstrated strong performance, winning his second straight match against Ruud with a score of 7-6 (3), 6-3.
Zverev currently leads his group, while both Alcaraz and Ruud have one victory apiece. Rublev, however, finds himself at the bottom with two losses.
In the other group, top-ranked player Jannik Sinner sits at the top, followed closely by Taylor Fritz, Daniil Medvedev, and Alex de Minaur.
The tournament format allows the top two players from each group to advance to the semifinals.
After his match with Ruud, Alcaraz shared that he had been feeling unwell, describing discomfort in his stomach. His condition caused him to shorten a practice session the following day.
“Despite feeling sick, I concentrated on my game and pushed aside my discomfort,” Alcaraz explained.
He wore a pink breathing strip during the match, stating, “It’s something I might wear more often as it helped me recover better between points.”
Alcaraz successfully executed numerous drop-shot winners throughout the match. Even when Rublev managed to chase them down, Alcaraz capitalized by hitting winners into open spaces.
In a dramatic moment late in the second set, he landed a drop-shot approach volley winner and saved two set points in the tiebreaker.
“Recently, I struggled with my drop shots,” said Alcaraz, who has slipped to No. 3 in the rankings behind Zverev. “I was pondering what was going wrong since it’s a core part of my play.”
Ultimately, Alcaraz recorded more than double the number of winners compared to Rublev, notching 31 to Rublev’s 14.
Rublev acknowledged Alcaraz’s skill, noting, “He only missed one drop shot when he was 40-0 ahead; every other attempt resulted in a win for him.”
Next, Alcaraz is set to face Zverev in his concluding group match, while Rublev will play against Ruud.
Zverev is on track for his third title at the ATP Finals, having previously secured victories in London in 2018 and in Turin in 2021.
In this latest match, Zverev delivered an impressive 11 aces and faced no break points, contributing to his ongoing success following a title win at the Paris Masters.
Zverev has been proactive in refining his game practices, stating, “I aim to enhance my skills further to compete effectively with Jannik and Carlos, who are currently at the top. They are consistently winning Grand Slams, and I aspire to be amongst them.”