Alexander Zverev makes strong start in hunt for third ATP finals title
Alexander Zverev kicked off his quest for a third ATP Finals trophy with a confident 6-4, 6-4 victory over Andrey Rublev on Monday at the Nitto ATP Finals. The second seed wasted no time in asserting his dominance, securing the win in just 72 minutes, improving his season record to 67-13 and extending his head-to-head advantage over Rublev to 7-3.
Zverev, a two-time champion at the season finale (2018, 2021), showed resilience in the face of an aggressive start from Rublev, who came out firing on serve. Despite the Russian’s early momentum, Zverev remained composed, breaking Rublev’s serve in the seventh game of the first set to seize the early advantage.
The German continued his solid play into the second set, where he once again capitalized on a key moment, breaking Rublev in the ninth game to secure the match. Zverev’s ability to stay mentally strong and take full advantage of his opportunities was key to his success.
Reflecting on his performance, Zverev said, “I thought it was a very solid match from my end. 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 that today, I felt like I used my chances quite well and I’m obviously happy with this win.”
Looking ahead, Zverev will continue his pursuit of a hat-trick of titles when he faces Casper Ruud in his next round-robin match. Ruud shocked third seed Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the day in the John Newcombe Group, setting up an intriguing showdown between the two.
This year’s ATP Finals marks a historic occasion, as it is the first time since 2001 that neither Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, nor Roger Federer are competing in the season finale. Zverev, who became the first player to defeat all three of the ‘Big Three’ at the ATP Finals in 2019, will be looking to add to his legacy with another strong showing this year.
