Ailing Alcaraz revives ATP Finals bid
Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz made light of feeling under the weather as he dispatched Russia’s Andrey Rublev in impressive fashion to revive his ATP Finals hopes.
The Spanish four-time Grand Slam champion has been suffering with respiratory issues and wore pink nasal tape against Rublev in a resounding 6-3 7-6(8) victory.
Third seed Alcaraz, bidding to win the title for the first time, looked far sharper than during his opening group match which ended in a straight-set defeat by Casper Ruud. “I did surprise myself,” Alcaraz, who had to abandon a practice session on Tuesday, said on court. “I just tried to focus on my game and what I had to do and not that I wasn’t feeling well. Once you step on court you have to forget that. I felt good from the baseline running and felt I had more options today.”
Rublev has now lost six successive matches at the ATP Finals in straight sets since reaching the semifinals in 2022. Alcaraz is still likely to need to beat Alexander Zverev in his last group match to qualify.
