ATP Finals: Zverev begins campaign with dominant victory over Rublev

Alexander Zverev kickstarted his hunt for a third ATP Finals trophy with a commanding victory. The second seed locked in to defeat Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-4 to open his account at the season finale.

Sinner awarded trophy for finishing No. 1

Turin: Jannik Sinner was awarded the trophy for finishing the year at No. 1 in the rankings before his home fans at the ATP Finals. Sinner won the Australian Open and US Open for his first two Grand Slam titles. He mathematically secured the year-end No. 1 a month ago. “There’s no place better to celebrate this trophy,” Sinner said as his mom, Siglinde, looked on in tears. “Thanks for all of your support.”

Zverev, who won the title in 2018 and 2021, stood firm in the face of a fast start from Rublev to clinch his Tour-leading 67th win of 2024 in just 72 minutes.

After improving to 7-3 in the pair’s ATP Head-2-Head series, the German will continue his hat-trick hunt against Casper Ruud, who earlier upset third seed Carlos Alcaraz in the John Newcombe Group.

“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,” Zverev said.

Rublev came out firing as he raced through the first 13 points on his serve, according to ATP Stats. However, a slip in the seventh game allowed Zverev to seize the first break of the match.

The German, known for his patience, waited for the right moment in the second set, breaking in the ninth game to extend his strong record in round-robin matches at the event (6-1).