Alexander Zverev continued his strong form at the ATP Finals by moving into the semi-finals in Turin with a commanding 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over the third seed Carlos Alcaraz.
After success at the Paris Masters in his previous tournament, Zverev, the second seed, is on an eight-match winning streak following victories over Alcaraz, Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev in Turin.
In a tough, competitive opening set, the German held a set point on Alcaraz’s serve before the Spaniard forced a tiebreak where Zverev was rewarded for his excellent serving while Alcaraz struck a loose forehand at 4-5.
Zverev carried the momentum to the second set, breaking serve early and serving extremely well in the decisive moments. The 27-year-old finished the match with 79% first serves in, nine aces and just one double fault.
Alcaraz’s form in Turin has been significantly affected by a viral illness he picked up before the event. Even in the various promotional activities before the tournament, the Spaniard was constantly coughing and blowing his nose. He struggled badly in his opening loss to Casper Ruud before keeping himself in the contest on Wednesday with a straight-sets win over Rublev.
In the semi-finals on Saturday, Zverev will face Taylor Fritz, the fifth seed, who finished second in his group behind the world No 1 Jannik Sinner. Fritz defeated Zverev at Wimbledon and the US Open this year, reaching his first grand slam final at the latter tournament.
Alcaraz’s exit was confirmed on Friday night when Ruud saw off Rublev to claim second spot in the group. Ruud faces the daunting task of taking on Sinner after seeing off Rublev 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. The Norwegian only needed a set to be sure of progressing to the last four for the third time in three appearances.
