ATP Finals 2024: Alcaraz beats Rublev to stay alive in Turin

Carlos Alcaraz claimed a crucial win over Andrey Rublev at the ATP Finals on Thursday morning (AEDT), meaning he is still a chance to reach the last four in Turin.

The Spaniard was facing the prospect of early elimination after his opening loss to Casper Ruud earlier in the week.

Illness hampered Alcaraz’s preparation and performance on that occasion, and he wore a nose strip against Rublev to assist with his breathing.

The world No.3 also made adjustments to his gameplan, employing the drop shot to great effect en route to a 6-3, 7-6 (8) victory.

“I felt like the last month I couldn’t hit good drops,” Alcaraz said after the match.

“And I was thinking, ‘What’s going on?’ You know, my style, my game is about playing these kind of shots … so I tried to do it today.”

Next up for Alcaraz is Alexander Zverev, who went 2-0 in the John Newcombe Group with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 win over Ruud earlier on Thursday.

Despite winning in straight sets, the German did not have it all his own way.

“It was a good match,” Zverev said.

“I thought both of us played quite good tennis and I’m happy with the win.

“I’m looking forward to Carlos now on [Saturday] and hopefully a few more matches over the weekend.”

Tennis betting sites have installed Alcaraz as a $1.72 favourite for his clash with Zverev, who is paying $2.10 to complete a clean sweep of the group stage.

However, Zverev ($5) sits just ahead of Alcaraz ($6) in ATP Finals outright betting at Marantelli Bet, with world No.1 Jannik Sinner at short odds of $1.61 to claim the title on home soil.

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